The UK gender pay gap shrank to its lowest on record this year, even though men continue to earn significantly more than women in every occupation.
Across all types of employee category, women’s pay was on average 17.9% lower than their male peers, down from 18.6% last year. For full-time workers, the discrepancy was much less at 8.6%, reflecting the fact that more women work in part-time jobs, which are lower paid. But the figure had also dropped when compared with 2017.
UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed that men were on average higher paid across all industry groups, with the largest disparity being felt among workers in traditionally male-dominated skilled trades such as electricians and mechanics. The lowest wage gap existed in sales and customer service roles, where previous ONS numbers have shown the workforce has an almost even gender split.
Even so, the report found that the pay gap for full-time employees is close to zero at younger ages, before widening significantly from the age of 40 onwards, according to Bloomberg.
By way of contrast though, the gender wage gap in the US has barely narrowed at all this century, with women today earning 80 cents for every dollar paid to a man, US News reported.
According to a study by the American Association of University Women, retail sales supervisors experience the largest pay differential, making 74 cents to the dollar. Registered nurses and elementary and middle schoolteachers, on the other hand, benefit from the lowest wage gap, earning 92% of what their male counterparts take home.
The pay gap also varies widely by state. In 2017, women in California who work full time are paid 89% of male salaries when median annual earnings are evaluated. In Louisiana, females earn 69% of what men are paid.
In more positive news, US tech company Adobe has now announced it has achieved gender parity worldwide after analysing employees’ salaries based on job families and location, before making suitable adjustments. These adjustments affected fewer than 5% of its staff and saw global payroll costs rise by only 0.2%, IT Brief reported.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
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The UK gender pay gap shrank to its lowest on record this year, even though men continue to earn significantly more than women in every occupation.
Across all types of employee category, women’s pay was on average 17.9% lower than their male peers, down from 18.6% last year. For full-time workers, the discrepancy was much less at 8.6%, reflecting the fact that more women work in part-time jobs, which are lower paid. But the figure had also dropped when compared with 2017.
UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed that men were on average higher paid across all industry groups, with the largest disparity being felt among workers in traditionally male-dominated skilled trades such as electricians and mechanics. The lowest wage gap existed in sales and customer service roles, where previous ONS numbers have shown the workforce has an almost even gender split.
Even so, the report found that the pay gap for full-time employees is close to zero at younger ages, before widening significantly from the age of 40 onwards, according to Bloomberg.
By way of contrast though, the gender wage gap in the US has barely narrowed at all this century, with women today earning 80 cents for every dollar paid to a man, US News reported.
According to a study by the American Association of University Women, retail sales supervisors experience the largest pay differential, making 74 cents to the dollar. Registered nurses and elementary and middle schoolteachers, on the other hand, benefit from the lowest wage gap, earning 92% of what their male counterparts take home.
The pay gap also varies widely by state. In 2017, women in California who work full time are paid 89% of male salaries when median annual earnings are evaluated. In Louisiana, females earn 69% of what men are paid.
In more positive news, US tech company Adobe has now announced it has achieved gender parity worldwide after analysing employees’ salaries based on job families and location, before making suitable adjustments. These adjustments affected fewer than 5% of its staff and saw global payroll costs rise by only 0.2%, IT Brief reported.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
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Gender pay gap exists at 78% of UK organisations
How to address the ongoing European gender pay gap
US gender pay gap made worse by bonus disparities
