Continuing Gender Inequality Highlighted in New SSI Research

Gap Remains Between What Consumers Believe and How Society Acts Toward Women

SHELTON, Connecticut, March 8, 2011 - As the world recognizes International Women's Day, global consumers
acknowledge a discrepancy between how they feel gender equality "should be"
and the perception of the way things actually are. According to new research
with Survey Sampling International's (SSI) global online panels in eight
countries, most participants (70%) strongly agree with the statement "men and
women should be paid the same wage for the same position." Only a minority of
participants, however, "strongly agree" that "in my country, women are equal
to men in the workplace" and "in my country, men and women have equal
rights."

On a country level, participants in Germany (37%) and the US (35%) are
mostly likely to "strongly agree" that "in my country, men and women have
equal rights." France (16%) and Japan (8%) are least likely to "strongly
agree."

SSI's findings are based on a study of 4,000+ adults drawn from its
online panels. Countries covered include the US, UK, Australia, China,
Germany, France, Japan and Singapore. SSI offers extensive worldwide reach to
support survey research through SSI Dynamix(TM), its dynamic sampling
platform that links to its own global panels, as well as social media,
affiliate partners, online communities and more.

The Politics of Gender Equality

When examining the likelihood of voting for a female or male candidate of
equal abilities, almost half of Chinese participants (46%) state that they
are more likely to vote for a male. It is also important to note that 42% of
China's participants are just as likely to vote for either gender. Overall,
72% of participants across the eight countries are just as likely to vote
either gender into a position of leadership when the candidates are equally
qualified.

Opinions across countries differ more than opinions within countries.
Among males, 26% are "more likely to vote a male into a position of
leadership," while only 4% of males would be "more likely to vote for a
female." Females are "more likely to vote a female into a position of
leadership" (11%) than males. Like their male counterparts, however, females
choose "more likely to vote for a male" (15%) more often than "more likely to
vote for a female" (11%).

International Women's Day Awareness

Sixty percent of participants report that they are aware of International
Women's Day. Participants in the US (12%), UK (34%) and Japan (44%) are least
aware of the holiday. Conversely, in Germany (77%), France (82%), Australia
(57%), Singapore (75%) and China (99%), the majority of participants have
heard of International Women's Day. Participants aware of the event in China
are most likely to plan on attending a scheduled event for the holiday (46%).

About Survey Sampling International

Survey Sampling International (www.surveysampling.com) is the
premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI
reaches respondents in 72 countries via Internet, telephone and
mobile/wireless. Value-add services include questionnaire design
consultation, programming and hosting, and data processing. SSI serves more
than 2,000 clients, including 48 of the top 50 research organizations.
Founded in 1977, SSI has 17 offices in 15 countries.

Ilene Siegalovsky, Vice President, Global Marketing, +1-203-567-7230, ilene_siegalovsky at surveysampling.com