Women workers paid 27% less for same work compared with male counterparts: study |
|
|
|
Published
:
Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:35
|
LONDON: The gender gap still exists and is widening as far as pay is concerned. Female workers in the U.K. earn 27 per cent less on an average compared with make workers, says a new study. The gap exists at its widest in London, with male workers earning an average of 39,022 pounds against the average for females computed at 28,833 pounds, almost 35 per cent more.
The comparative study, conducted by Payfinder.com, a British salary comparison website, found that at the national level, the average for males was 30,948 pounds, and for females, 23,977 pounds. The website compiled the figures from information provided by 160,000 registered visitors of the site.
The study also indicated that no region in the U.K is exception to this pattern. The gap was at the smallest -- 15 per cent -- in Northern Ireland.
The disparity -- which increased by 3 per cent compared with 2004 -- is an indication of women's reluctance to bargain for more salary, according to Payfinder.com's spokesperson C..J Brough. She said: "This year's PayFinder report highlights that sex discrimination is still rife in the workplace. Women need to be diligent and take the lead in checking that their pay is fair and equal. Unfortunately the fairer sex does tend to shy from wage negotiations, whereas conversely, men often have no such reservations."
In an earlier research, the website found that 66 per cent of women hesitate to ask for salary hikes compared with 24 per cent of men.
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) too had done a study which showed that there existed an 18 per cent gap between the pay packets of men and women in full-time work and as much as 40 per cent in the hourly rate system. This is unacceptably large and it is not going away, said EOC. The disparity existed for the last 30 years.
Similarly, figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics for 2004 showed that men who had had full-time jobs with the same employer for a year or longer had average gross annual earnings of 24,236 pounds, while women had 18,531 pounds, a difference of 24 per cent.
Meanwhile, Women and Work Commission, which has also carried out similar studies and came out with similar results said the three main issues affecting women's pay were caring responsibilities, part-time working and occupational segregation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
