Region’s gender pay gap one of country’s highest
THE gender pay gap among managers in the North East is one of the highest in the country, new research shows.
An analysis of managers’ salaries by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, found that male managers in the region were paid £10,958 more than women.
That equates to a 28.8% gap, the highest differential after the Midlands, where the gender divide was more than £12,000.
The average salary of a female manager in the North East is £27,025, including bonuses and commission, compared to £37,983 for men, according to the report.
The CMI report also reveals that women are far more likely to fill junior management positions than men while men much more likely to occupy senior positions with the pay gap widening considerably at director-level positions.
Bonus payments are also exacerbating the problem, with the gender bonus gap across all managers standing at 46.9%.
CMI’s chief executive Ann Francke said: “Too many businesses are like ‘glass pyramids’ with women holding the majority of lower-paid junior roles and far fewer reaching the top. We now see those extra perks of senior management roles are creating a gender pay gap wider than previously understood.
“The picture is worst at the top, with male chief executives cashing in bonuses six times larger than female counterparts.
“Our data show we need the Government’s gender pay gap reporting regulations more than ever before. Yet, less than 1% of companies have reported so far.”
Under new Government regulations that came into force in April, employers of more than 250 staff must now publicly disclose the size of their gender pay gap.
But so far less than 100 of the 7,850 UK companies to which the new law applies have fulfilled their obligations.
Nickie Gott, chair of the North East England Chamber of Commerce’s women’s advisory board said: “This gender pay gap reflects ongoing discrimination and inequalities in the labour market, which is hard to still come to terms with in this day and age.”