Analysis by the National Statistics Office has revealed that women in their 40s are the biggest losers in the pay divide between the sexes. According to the NSO, women between 40 and 49 years of age earn on average 20% less than men. The gap is even wider in the case of female managers.
Figures from the 2007 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and the Labour Force Survey (LSF) show that while earnings for men and women are similar when they join the job market, at 18 to 21 years old, a gender pay gap appears after their first decade in the workplace. The gaps progress as follows:
• Between 22 and 29 year olds: 1.0%
• Between 30 and 39 year olds: 7.3%
• Between 40 and 49 year olds: 20.3%
• Between 50 and 50 year olds: 18.3%
Pay gaps vary according to sector, with the widest in the male-dominated ‘skilled trades’ group, at 25.4% for full-timers. Next widest is the 23.0% gap among senior managers and senior officials. The smallest is that among the professional occupations, at 3.8%.
LFS figures also show that the gender pay gap increases with the number of children in a family. Average pay for a full-time woman employee with one dependent child was 12.3% behind that of full-time men, but where there were four or more children, the gap rose to 35.5%.
Susan Anderson, director of HR policy at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says:
“This survey shows that the real reason men and women earn different amounts is down to the sector that they work in. Women are more likely than men to work in lower-paid sectors. Family commitments mean that their careers tend to plateau, while men’s continue to develop.The pay gap between men and women at the start of their careers is small and we expect this to close at higher ages as employers now offer many ways to accommodate their work-life balance. What is important is that young people have access to better careers advice, which leads young women to take jobs in better paid sectors and professions.”
With ‘labour shortage’ rarely far from employers’ lips, their failure to make the workplace more attractive to such a large chunk of the workforce is inexplicable.
