Payfinder states gender pay gap continues

Research by salary comparison site, PayFinder, suggests that female British workers earn on average 27% less than male co-workers. The largest gap in wages was in London, where men earned an average of £39,022 and women 35% less at £28,833.

PayFinder’s report was based on data given to the site by approximately 40,000 workers between August 2004 and 2005. The company’s 2004 report showed that men earned an average 24% more than women.

According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures for 2004, men who had had full-time jobs with the same employer for a year or longer had average gross annual earnings of £24,236. The figure for women was approximately 24% less at £18,531.

CJ Brough, a spokeswoman for Payfinder said: “Invariably discrepancies in salary are explained via a difference in ability, which in turn is based on skill set and experience.”
“Before anyone cites female job choice as a possible cause, PayFinder also shows that regardless of industry and indeed role, men still earn more than women.”

Ms Brough said the report highlighted that sex discrimination was still prevalent in the workplace. However, she said that previous research by PayFinder found that 66% of women were too scared to ask for a pay rise, compared to 24% of men.

Research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), released in March, suggested that women earned 14% less than men partly because they do not have enough maths and science qualifications. It said that schools should provide better career advice to encourage girls to aim for higher paid careers.