Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

LettersEquality, diversity and inclusionSex discriminationEqual pay

Discrimination is not only cause of gender pay gap

by Personnel Today 4 Feb 2008
by Personnel Today 4 Feb 2008

In your article ‘GMB union highlights gender pay divide in human resources’ (Personneltoday.com, 7 December 2007), the GMB attributes the gender pay gap to “institutional sex discrimination”. This assertion is at best dubious, because the presence of a pay gap is not evidence of discrimination alone.

Women do face barriers that cause them disadvantage, and while the gender pay gap may be unacceptable, it persists for a multitude of reasons. Some are due to differences in male and female choices and behaviours, and are therefore not discrimination.

Women place less emphasis on pay and status, focusing more on job satisfaction and working relationships. Research has found that women are less likely to negotiate a higher salary than men. The pay difference that arises from this is not as a result of unfavourable treatment of women employees.

Women also tend to gravitate towards roles with lower salaries. While they make these choices of their own volition, in some instances they are down to poor careers advice. There are many organisations that pay a higher salary for candidates with greater years of service. So women who take leave to raise children are obviously disadvantaged.

Discrimination is one of many factors responsible for the gender pay gap. It is irresponsible and erroneous to assert that the gap is entirely due to “institutional sex discrimination”. Even if discrimination is eliminated, a pay gap will still persist.

Shoz Rahman
HR analyst

Personnel Today
Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
AUDIO – Learning Technologies 2008: a look at e-learning
next post
Recruitment agencies defend £1.18bn NHS temporary nurse bill

You may also like

Ikea vows to improve sexual harassment policies

23 Mar 2023

Channel 4 launches period support policy

22 Mar 2023

Managers call for ‘help to hire’ courses for...

10 Mar 2023

International Women’s Day 2023 puts equity above equality

7 Mar 2023

Ending sexism in medicine pledge launched by BMA

7 Mar 2023

Government appoints menopause employment champion

7 Mar 2023

France rated best overall for gender equality in...

3 Mar 2023

‘Nothing left in the tank’: the special pressures...

3 Mar 2023

CBI reveals principles to overcome UK labour challenges

1 Mar 2023

FTSE 350 firms reach women on boards target...

28 Feb 2023

  • Sodexo Engage – Mountain of lost benefits ebook PROMOTED | Help your people feel the impact of your benefits...Read more
  • Neurodiversity: How to make the workplace more inclusive (webinar) WEBINAR | Can your organisation truly be inclusive...Read more
  • How HR can facilitate internal talent mobility PROMOTED | Should internal talent mobility be a priority...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more
  • The Workplace Today Guide: Why it pays to support your staff’s financial health PROMOTED | The cost of living crisis has hit...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+