Gender pay gap widens

It’s always discouraging to read the latest statistics that show significant gender pay gaps. The Office for National Statistics now say that although male / female pay divide has almost disappeared among young people, as women get older and are having children, men are earning over 20% more than their female counterparts.

Despite great advances in anti discrimination laws, many women are facing problems with inequality – according to the Recruitment Employment Confederation, 70% of recruitment consultancies are being told by clients to avoid hiring women of child-bearing age. But we mustn’t forget that a key reason for the pay gap widening is that many women are making the choice to put their career on hold and make their family the priority. This is especially true in industries like technology which experience rapid change and require working long hours. We must focus on encouraging mothers back into the workplace through continuous training and support. This will not only close the pay gap but make sure that industries like IT don’t lose out on all the female talent out there.