The majority of female-dominated jobs have a gender pay gap that favours men, an analysis of Office for National Statistics data has found.
Research by HR and payroll software provider Ciphr showed this was the case for 70% of occupational roles which are mostly carried out by women.
Its study of workforces with more than 50,000 full- and part-time staff discovered that only 3% of jobs held by a female majority have no gender pay gap this year, while 27% have one that favours women.
Positions which have both the highest numbers of employees and median gender pay gaps of at least 10% include office managers, marketing and commercial managers, solicitors and lawyers and financial accounts managers. These roles are held by around 380,700 women compared to 206,800 men, but gender pay gaps for these jobs vary from 13.4% to 18.4% in men’s favour.
Other occupations with significant gender pay gaps include care managers and business owners, as well as other educational professionals. Among these workers, the average gender pay gaps stand at 14.8% and 14.4% respectively.
Additionally, there’s even a 4.7% gender pay gap among office administrators and clerical/administrative assistants – the third most-common role filled by women who make up 78% of the workforce.
Overall, the average hourly pay disparity for all workers is currently 13.1% in favour of men, which Ciphr highlighted can have an adverse effect over the course women’s working lives that can even impacting their pension pots.
The research found that around three-quarters of all jobs have a gender pay gap in 2024, rising to 82% in positions that are mostly held by men and 85% in roles that have relatively gender-balanced workforces.
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said: “The UK’s stubbornly high, double-digit (13.1%) gender pay gap reflects systemic issues that cannot be ignored. It’s not just a matter of fairness – it’s a matter of equity, engagement, and trust in the workplace. Employers must do more to uncover and address the root causes of these disparities, from recruitment practices to career progression and salary review processes.”
She believes that even organisations that aren’t legally required to report on their gender pay gap should conduct annual gender pay gap and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging reports.
“This ensures they have an in-depth understanding of any gaps and know where they need to focus efforts to improve them as a priority. By taking concrete, measurable actions, employers can begin to close the gap and create a workplace that truly values and rewards talent equally, regardless of gender,” Williams added.
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