Gender pay gap is growing

Pay gap is growing between men and women

THE PAY GAP between men and women from trainees to chief executives has increased in more than a decade, according to a new survey.

Male managers are paid an average of £6,076 a year more than their female counterparts, while male directors earn £49,233 more.

The survey of more than 42,000 managers across every sector was conducted by the Chartered Management Institute.

Jenny Watson, head of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said it was 'alarming' that the gender gap was deteriorating nearly 40 years after the Equal Pay Act was introduced and accused employers of neglecting to tackle 'systematic pay inequality'.

Watson also demanded the Government introduce laws to close the gender gap forever.

The CMI's annual survey revealed that male managers were paid 12.2% more than females in the year to January 2007, compared with 11.8% the previous year.

At director level, men earned 23% more, an increase of 3%. This was in spite of evidence that women were more motivated and industrious, with 63.4% of them earning bonuses, against 55.9% of men.

A spokesman for the minister for women, Harriet Harman, said: 'Much more needs to be done to tackle unequal pay.' She said the Government was devoted to reducing the gender gap, which was 'unfair in principle but also prevents women from fulfilling their opportunities at work'. (5 September 2007)