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Male workers in the UK are still earning almost twice as much as women, despite seeing their incomes grow at just half the rate of their female counterparts, official figures have revealed.
The figures, published by the DTI's Women and Equality Unit, show that the median weekly income for women in 2003/04 was £161. This was 53% of the median income for men, which stood at £303.
Between 1996/97 and 2003/04, women saw a 31% increase in their median pay, compared with a real terms increase in men's pay of just 13%.
The largest increase was for single women with children – their median income rose by 50% in real terms over the seven-year period.
Women aged between 25 and 29 earned more than those in other age brackets, with a median income of £249.
This was also closer to their male peers' pay, representing 76% of the median male income in the same age bracket. The highest median income was found in men aged between 35 and 49.
