Astonishing gender pay gaps persist, despite new legislation

Research conducted by one of the UK’s largest accountants has revealed that men earn up to 30% more than women in the same roles, despite new legislation forcing larger companies to publish figures on gender pay.

Hemel Hempstead-based SJD has analysed salaries of both male and females in a number of different sectors revealing some astonishing gender pay gaps.

In the creative industry alone, statistics from the survey have revealed that females earn 26% less than males for the same job.

The IT and Engineering sectors having the largest pay gaps, a 30% difference, which has seen males earning a huge £15,000 more than females.

Derek Kelly, CEO of Optionis which owns SJD Accountancy said:

“The gender pay gap has been a topic of increasing conversation, putting the difference in salary into real terms has been shocking.

“This information now highlights the genuine impact that this can have not only on employees but their families and long-term prospects.”

The gender pay gap has been an increasingly important and developing conversation for a number of years within the media and government.

Increasing pressure has been put on businesses to disclose their gender pay gaps and redress the balance to aim for more equal pay, with larger employers being legally obliged to publish statistics, however these figures suggest the UK has some way to go towards a goal of equal gender pay.

The survey by SJD Accountancy saw more than a 1,000 contractors questioned, and data gathered on their salaries to create a better picture of which sectors are closing the gap and which are still struggling to find parity.
To find out more details about your industry and the gender pay gaps SJD has launched an interactive tool, visit www.sjdaccountancy.com/gender-pay-gap-tool for more information.

Mr Kelly added:

“The tool helps to give workers, whether in permanent or temporary roles, more of an insight into the pay gap within their industry. This improves understanding of the pay issues within certain sectors.”