Uber just explained why its female drivers are paid 7% less than its male drivers

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Apparently they’re slower drivers…

We all know the gender pay gap is alive and well. In fact the past year has been consumed with companies being outed for their pay disparity, from the BBC to E!.

The latest company to reveal its gender pay gap is global taxi company, Uber, who it was announced pays male drivers on average 7% more than its female drivers.

But why?

Apparently Uber commissioned a study by Stanford and Chicago Universities – and now we have all the answers.

According to the study, female Uber drivers are paid less because they are slower drivers. Yes, really. Male Uber drivers are on average 2.2% faster according to the research, allowing them to work more often – 50% more often going by the data.

‘Men’s willingness to supply more hours per week (enabling them to earn more) and to target the most profitable locations shows that women continue to pay a cost for working reduced hours each week, even with no convexity in the hours-earning schedule,’ the team announced in a statement.

The data is said to have been collected from over 1.5 million US Uber drivers between January 2015 and March 2017, and supposedly is based on all manner of factors, from money earned per hour and hours worked per week.

The Uber research team concluded: ‘Increasing speed increases expected driver earnings in almost all Uber settings.’