Gender pay gap shame
Men earn 20 per cent more
Men in Rutherglen and Cambuslang earn on average around 20 per cent more than women.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics show that men net an extra £2.53 an hour.
Men living in South Lanarkshire earn the equivalent of £ 13.73 an hour while women make £11.20.
One factor in the gender divide when it comes to wages is the number of men and women in fulltime work compared to part-time.
In South Lanarkshire, just 11 per cent of males work part-time while the figure for females is 43 per cent.
Ru t h e r g l e n and Hamilton West MP Margaret Ferrier said the figures were concerning: “Unfortunately there are many reasons that women are left behind in the workplace such as pregnancy, maternity leave and caring responsibilities and women’s pay can be, on average, 33 per cent down compared to their male counterparts by the time their child reaches the age of 12.
“The Ho u s e of Common’s women and equalities committee hav e p u b l i s h e d a report with a series of recommendations for the UK Government on tackling the gender pay gap – particularly around flexible working, shared parental leave, supporting women back into the workforce after time away from the labour market and tackling low pay in female-dominated sectors.
“The Tories must stop burying their heads when it comes to tackling gender pay issues.”
Ac ross S c o t l a n d , women are far more likely to work part- time than men – in large part due to expectations surrounding childcare – and these positions are usually lower paid.
Nearly nine in 10 working men have fulltime jobs, while 43 per cent of women work part-time.
When you take into account the fact that, on average, part-time workers are paid £4.44 less an hour, this has a huge impact on the earning potential of women.
Ms Fe r r i e r said Westminster could “learn from the SNP’s actions” where she says the government have “put gender equality at the heart of our agenda”.
While no areas in Scotland see the gender gap work the other way, South Buckinghamshire, Denbighshire and Conwy in Wales, Hackney in London and Rossendale in Lancashire all see women earn slightly more.
There are many reasons women are left behind