Has gender equality already mostly been achieved? In polls men and women answer this question differently. But there are some areas where we can agree, writes Peter Lewis.

Are we there yet? When it comes to gender equality it seems that the answer depends on which side of the gender divide you stand.

Like George "Dubya" Bush in full metal jacket a majority of men are prepared to declare "Mission Accomplished", even as the vast majority of those they believe have been liberated see the battle still in full swing.

As this week's Essential Report shows, there are significant gaps in perception of whether gender equality has come far enough and whether gender equality has already mostly been achieved.

Q Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Total agree Total disagree Men agree Men disagree Women agree Women disagree Gender equality, meaning that men and women are equal, has come far enough already 38% 53% 51% 39% 26% 68% Gender equality has already been mostly achieved 41% 52% 53% 39% 30% 64%

In most polls we conduct the gender gap is not the defining factor. Sure, women were not keen on Tony Abbott but even there the difference was within 10 points.

What's interesting about these numbers is with the same information before them, how starkly the genders split. But of course, on this issue it's all about lived experience.

Any political theorist worth their boots will tell you that power is a relative commodity - invisible to those who wield it, stark for those who don't have it.

For example, men see access to the workplace as proof of equality, while women see the unprecedented juggle of work in the home with a professional life as yet another injustice.

Men see laws guaranteeing return to work after having children as proof that in the workplace gender is blind; women see their super balances put on hold exposing them to a less secure financial future.

Men see an NRL star being acquitted of domestic violence charges as evidence that women cry wolf; women see Rosie Batty and know the threat can be deadly.

What is also interesting is that when the questions focus more on specific measures, the views between the genders tend to converge.

Q Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Total agree Total disagree Men agree Men disagree Women agree Women disagree Work to achieve gender equality today benefits mostly well-to-do people 39% 42% 45% 38% 35% 46% There should be laws that require equal salaries for men and women in the same position 78% 14% 71% 21% 85% 8%

Men and women are broadly in agreement in rejecting the idea that gender equality focuses on the well-off and embracing the proposition that the law has a role in enforcing gender pay equity.

Maybe that's the positive from these findings - building consensus around concrete initiatives breaks through the tyranny of perspective. Then again, seeing the world through women's eyes would do the job too.

Peter Lewis is a director of Essential Media Communications (EMC), a public affairs and research company specialising in campaigning for progressive social and political organisations. He tweets at @PeterLewisEMC.