Female grads expect £4,000 less in first job

FEMALE graduates expect to earn almost £4,000 a year less than their male peers in their first job, a survey has found.

The average UK graduate salary is around £30,000, but women said they expected to earn just £25,900 after university. By contrast, men felt they were likely to earn £29,700. Women also thought they would earn less after five years in work, expecting £42,400 to men’s £54,200.

However, the poll of 5,058 university students for the Bright Network found fewer than 5 per cent of respondents thought pay was more important than work-life balance.