Nearly 80 percent of women who began working at companies in Tokyo this month said they believe gender inequality remains in the workplace in Japan. However, 64.1 percent of their employers do not think so, according to a survey released by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Friday.

The metropolitan government conducted the opinion survey in September and October of female university students who were to begin working this April, the starting month for the Japanese business and school year.

Nearly 58 percent of the women said they believe "inequality remains strong," while 19.8 percent said they believe almost no improvements have been achieved in terms of gender equality in the workplace.

Only 0.9 percent of the women said that men and women are now on almost equal footing, although 29.3 percent of their employers believe so, according to the opinion poll.

The survey also revealed perception gaps that exist between the newcomers and their employers over how female workers should be evaluated. While 64.2 percent of companies polled said that they most appreciate female workers' ability to "handle work in a precise and accurate manner," only 22.9 percent of the newcomers said it is the ability they want to utilize most in the workplace.