Recruitment Issues: Tackling the Gender Pay Gap

After Fawcett Society conducted research in February 2016 to investigate just how unequal the gender pay gap is, Raffingers brings to you the latest information on the subject and what the research revealed.

The study reinforces the ongoing issue of unequal treatment between men and women in the workplace. Research suggests a shocking 13.19% gap between men and women who work full time. At the current rate, it is predicted that it will take over 50 years to close the gap

Though there is no single underlying cause for the problem, it is recognised that employers undervaluing roles predominantly done by women, dominance of men in best paid positions, unequal caring responsibilities and discrimination are the key contributing factors.

It would appear that women are generally not given the opportunity to progress as far in their careers as they would like to, purely because they are female. In fact, research also suggests that men who are fathers earn as much as 21% more than men who are without children. This is concerning when considering mothers over the age of 33 earn 15% less than women without children.

The gender pay gap varies across the life course; it is at a low 1.3% for women in their twenties and opens up to a staggering 19.7% for women in their fifties. It is said that women with children are perceived to be less reliable in the workplace than their male counterparts.

Fortunately, it would appear that not all sectors across the economy are ignoring the divide. In sales and customer service, the gap is less than 5.1%, whilst contrastingly in the skilled trades, there is a 20% gap.

Currently, employers who discriminate against genders are being named and shamed. For businesses to avoid being put under scrutiny for unequal treatment, perhaps it is time to take action and face the issue head on.  Therefore, it is advised that employers should review their company policies and ensure they are giving equal opportunities to both genders.