And the findings may surprise you
Words by Jessica Davis
We all know about the pay gap - how even though it's finally narrowed for millennials it still increases dramatically for women after age thirty, and that at current rates, it will be 2069 before the pay gap closes. And it certainly doesn't help that the prospect of talking about money at work makes most of us want to plunge our heads in the sand.
Yet there is some good news to make us feel a little better. Recent research shows that there is one business where women are outperforming their male counterparts by a mile - and banking some serious mega bucks to boot (and no, it's not that kind of business). A new report by Influencer found that female social media influencers are earning up to one third more than men - turning the pay gap on it's head. And there's serious money to be made too - a female influencer with 100,000 followers can earn up to £41,600 from two sponsored posts a week, while her male equivalent would earn approximately £31,200. That's amounts to a whopping 51 per cent pay increase for women (and a 13 per cent increase for men) against the average full-time UK salary of £27,500.
But just why are female influencers doing so well? The researchers accredit it to a high level of interest in fashion and fitness social media profiles, where women are leading the way - characterised by the likes of Zoella, Tanya Burr, Niomi Smart, and Clean Eating Alice.
Ben Jeffries, the 21-year-old founder of Influencer, a platform that allows brands to collaborate with social media stars, stated: 'Female influencers are commanding higher fees than their male counterparts, flipping the traditional pay gap on its head. Perhaps this is due to the exponential rise of fashion and fitness collaborations on social media, where female influencers are very prominent.'
Brands are eager to work with influencers to promote their products, and with good reason - research reveals that nearly a third (31 per cent) of Britain has purchased something after spotting it on their feeds (increasing to 41 per cent when it comes to fashion purchases).
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It's no different for food-lovers either, with more than half of Brits (51 per cent) becoming inspired to get creative in the kitchen after seeing something shared on social media. Followers are also inspired to eat out too, with more than half (53 per cent) trying a new restaurant or bar. It’s not just Instagram-able food catching our attention, with one third (35 per cent) getting their trainers out of the bottom of the wardrobe and trying out a fitness regime after seeing it on an influencers’ page.
Social media influencers are doing more than just inspiring our day to day activities, they're also stimulating our political involvement too, as they have resulted in 24 per cent of followers joining a cause or participating in a march after watching social media stars lead the way. (We all remember those incredible celebrity posts about the women's march).
The findings show that social media is now a serious competitor for traditional audiences - finding that that 41 per cent of 18-30-year-olds scour social media first when looking for inspiration for holiday plans, outfits or places to visit, instead of more traditional sources like magazines and newspapers.
Having cottoned on to the earning potential of social media influencers, 63 per cent of 18-30-year-olds now dream of ditching the day job and instead becoming an influencer to earn an income. Keyboards at the ready everyone... (but you should probably delete any embarrassing drunken posts first.)