Women paid less by firms – report

SOME 84% of businesses which have revealed their gender pay gap figures are paying male staff members more than women on average, the latest government data shows.

More than 1,000 organisations with 250 or more workers have so far published the pay figures, which reveal the difference in the average hourly pay and bonuses for female and male employees.

Based on mean hourly earnings, the figures from the Equalities Office show 908 firms are paying men more than women, compared with 143 (13%) which are paying female employees more than their male counterparts, with 30 (3%) saying there is no difference in pay between the genders.

Among those with the biggest gender pay gap is clothing chain Phase Eight, where the hourly rate for women is 64.8% lower than for men, and tourism company TUI on 56.9%.

In January, it was revealed the mean hourly rate for women was 52% lower than for men at easyJet, while the figure stood at 33% lower at Virgin Money.

At the time both firms said men and women in the same roles were paid the same, and put the gender pay gap down to having more men in higher-paid positions.

At the other end of the scale, where women are paid more than male colleagues, manufacturer Sweet Dreams leads the pack with the women’s hourly rate 46.4% higher than men, based on the mean hourly rate. Three Rivers District Council had a mean hourly pay of 11% more for women than men.

The Government has made it mandatory for all organisations with 250 or more workers to report annually on their gender pay gap, and the remaining 8,000 are required to publish the first set of data by April.

The gender pay gap is different to “equal pay”, which deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs.