In a global survey of the gender pay gap in the technology sector, it has been revealed that there is still a sizable gap between men and women’s salaries in the UK.
To mark the UK’s Equal Pay Day on November 9th, Hired has released a report titled “Women, Work and the State of Wage Inequality”, the report found that the median salary offered to women in tech is 9% less than their male peers; the equivalent of £5,000 a year.
Compared to other countries with high performing technology sectors, the UK lags behind in pay equality, with the US reporting an 8% gap, Canada a 7% gap, and Australia having the smallest gap at 5%.
Marta Krupinska, co-founder and GM of Azimo said: “The fact that a £5,000 pay gap exists in the tech sector is unacceptable. We're far behind the US, Australia and Canada in terms of equal pay and that shows that there's a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed.”
The data suggests that the gap increases over time, as male software engineers earn around 7% more than their female counterparts. The gap increases to 10% in people with two to six years experience, before ultimately reaching 31% for individuals with more than six years in the job.
Businesses could be depriving themselves of a more creative workforce due to the gap in pay alienating women from working in the field.
Krupinska added: “Our tech sector is a world-leader because of its creativity and innovation – and women are a vital part of this. Research has proven that gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to perform above the industry average, so it's crucial that UK tech companies take responsibility and eliminate any pay gaps, otherwise the future of our sector is at risk.”