Gender pay divide is wider than thought

The
gender pay gap in the UK is wider than official figures show, according to a
new survey.

Research
by salary monitoring website PayFinder.com of salaries in 50 different sectors
shows that, on average, men are paid 24 per cent more than women.

Figures
released by the Office for National Statistics show the gap to be 19 per cent.

The
widest differences betweens between the sexes were recorded in the South East
and Scotland, where men earn respectively 30 per cent and 29 per cent more.

Northern
Ireland is the most egalitarian, with an average difference of 17 per cent in
pay.

The
worst sector for pay disparities is the sales sector, where men are paid 61 per
cent more on average.

The
Equal Pay Act 1970 gives an individual a right to the same contractual pay and
benefits as a person of the opposite sex in the same employment.

According
to the study, the full regional differences are:

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By
Michael Millar