The Majority of People Don't Think the Pay Gap Exists, Study Says

Well, here’s some disheartening news: Although the widespread prevalence of gender-based pay discrimination has been well-documented, 74% of adults in several western countries say they think men and women are paid equally for equitable work, according to a new survey.

Glassdoor, which catalogs salary details, company reviews and interview questions that employees share anonymously, polled more than 8,000 working adults in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland about the pay gap.

On a more optimistic note, 89% of survey respondents said they think there should be pay parity among men and women—and in the U.S., that number jumps to 93%.

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“While wage disparities do exist, this survey reveals that the majority of employees do not believe their workplace has a gender pay gap,” Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist, said in a statement.

In the U.S., fewer women than men are in denial about the pay gap: 60% of women think it isn’t real, while a whopping 78% of men feel the same way.

“All employees can benefit from having a heightened awareness of gender pay gap perceptions and realities,” Scott Dobroski, career trends analyst at Glassdoor told Motto. “For anyone looking to make sure they are being paid fairly, a good place to start is knowing how your salary compares to others with the same or similar jobs.”

Write to Robin Hilmantel at robin.hilmantel@time.com.