Gender pay gap reversed for part-time employees

The median hourly earnings for female part-time employees was 4.8% higher than for part-time men in 2011, according to research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The 2011 Annual survey of hours and earnings, found that this reversed gender pay gap was entirely due to earnings within the age range of 22 to 39.

The gender pay gap for full-time employees was down to 11.7% in the latest survey, from 20.2% in April 2011.

The research also found:

For men, full-time earnings were £538, compared with £440 for women.
Median gross weekly earnings for all employees were £400.
Median gross annual earnings for full-time employees (including those whose pay was affected by absence) were £26,100.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees were highest in London, at £649, and lowest in Northern Ireland at £446.

Robin Chater, the secretary-general of The Federation of European Employers (FedEE), said: “This shows how the overall figures for the gender pay gap are highly misleading.

“The size of the gap is largely because a much higher proportion of women work part-time than men, and part-time earnings for both genders are lower than for full-time work.

“Where women compete on equal terms with men – in the part-time jobs market – they actually earn more than men.”