IT industry worst for sex pay gap

The pay gap between men and women working in IT is larger than any other industry, a report has shown.

A male executive working in IT can expect to receive a salary 17,736 bigger than a female equivalent, according to data from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR.

The next worst industry in terms of having the most notable gap is the pharmaceutical sector with 14,018.

The report, which comes four decades after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, calculated that at the current rate at which the pay divide is slimming it will be another 57 years until women genuinely receive the same pay as men.

"Girls born this year will face the probability of working for around 40 years in the shadow of unequal pay," said CMI's head of policy Petra Wilton.

"The prospect of continued decades of pay inequality cannot be allowed to become reality."

The CMI collected data from 43,312 individuals in 197 organisations, showing male pay at senior level surpasses equivalent female emolument by as much as 24 per cent.

"It's not just Government that needs to act. Competitive businesses need to attract diverse workforces and appeal to the most talented employees," Wilton added.

"Managers and employers need to recruit from a wide talent pool but they cannot expect to attract the UK's best female talent if they continue to undervalue it."

Government response

A Government Equalities Office spokesman told IT PRO the Coalition is taking action to tackle the disadvantages faced by women in all workplaces and at all levels.

He pointed out that from October the Equality Act will make pay 'gagging' clauses unenforceable, meaning companies will no longer be able to stop employees comparing salaries with colleagues.

"Bringing an end to the culture of pay secrecy will make it easier for women to find out if they are being paid less than men," the spokesman added.

"The Coalition is committed to taking action, whether it is introducing a new system of flexible parental leave, extending the right to request flexible working, or appointing Lord Davies to look into the lack of female representation on the boards of top companies."

A 360 IT website survey recently indicated there is a lack of women in the tech industry as it is.

Three-quarters of respondents said their businesses are not doing enough to attract women in to their IT departments, even though just a fifth of IT workers in the UK are female.