Two-thirds of women would shun employers over lack of equal pay

Two-thirds of women in the UK would shun employers over a lack of equal pay for equal work, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by job site Glassdoor, found that 65 per cent of women would not apply for a job at a company that did not pay men and women the same for an equal position.

The research also found that over half of the women surveyed would be more interested in working for a company if they had a strong diversity policy in place. Nearly half of the women surveyed would be more interested in a company if it had a professional development network for women.

The report suggests that most people are in support of a greater transparency around pay, with 58 per cent believing the Government should force employers to reveal employee salaries. Interestingly, 38 per cent of men who were surveyed believe that the gender pay gap will not close until there is an increased number of parents sharing the role of raising children more equally.

The findings come as new regulations are due to come into force that will require all employers with 250 or more employees to measure and report their gender pay gaps for the first time.

Speaking about the results of the survey, Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist said, “The gender pay gap is set to be a major issue in the UK this year, not least because employers are grappling with the challenge of how to analyse their own data and there is a relatively low level of understanding amongst the workforce about what causes the gap.”

“Both male and female employees want more transparency around pay, and companies that offer this will have the advantage when it comes to recruiting.”

“Simple gender pay gap reporting doesn’t give any real insight unless people know what the causes of the gap are of if men and women are paid equally for equal work.”