Gay men paid much lower salaries than their heterosexual colleagues

Gay men face considerably lower wages than their heterosexual colleagues and are less likely to be in work, research reveals.

Men in same-sex relationships were paid 6% less than their heterosexual counterparts and were 3% less likely to be employed, according to an article in the Centre for Economic Performance’s CentrePiece magazine.

The shortfall exists despite the introduction of a law to prevent discrimination against sexual orientation in the workplace more than two-and-a-half years ago.

However, lesbian women in couples were paid about 11% more than heterosexual equivalents and were 12% more likely to be in work, partly down to childcare commitments heterosexual women might have, the report said.

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Workplace inequality worsened for gay men and lesbians if they were aged under 40 or employed in the private sector. The pay gap for gay male couples widened to 7% if they worked in the private sector and to 8% if they were aged 40 or younger.

“There are all sorts of reasons why these pay gaps still exist,” said Alan Marin, report author. “All discrimination is difficult to change simply by a law. It takes a long time.”