Female junior execs break down gender pay barrier

MANAGEMENT PAY

Female junior execs break down gender pay barrier

New figures released by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) show that female executives are earning as much as their male counterparts for the first time since its records began, albeit only at junior executive level. With an average salary of £21,969, female junior executives in the UK are currently being paid marginally more (£602) than male executives at the same level, whose average salary is £21,367.

However, the average figures across the whole sample of 34,158 UK executives surveyed by XpertHR on behalf of CMI suggest equal pay for male and female executives across all seniority levels remains a long way off. According to the 2011 National Management Salary Survey, men continue to be paid more on average than women doing the same jobs (£42,441 compared with £31,895), revealing a gender pay gap of £10,546.

In addition, salary increases for both male and female executives have fallen since last year‘s survey – in 2010 male salaries were found to have risen by 2.3% and female salaries by 2.8%, whereas this year’s figures are 2.1% and 2.4% respectively.

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Regional breakdown

Looking at trends outside London (average female executive salary of £42,517) and the South East (£33,427), where female salaries are unsurprisingly highest, women should head to the South West (£31,247) and Scotland (£30,652) for the best pay packets.

The gender pay gap is biggest in Northern Ireland - the average male executive salary is £13,793 more than that of female executives - followed by the Midlands (£11,346) and London (£11,129). Salaries are most equal in Wales where the pay gap is £2,441.

A final word

“While CMI is delighted that junior female executives have caught up with males at the same level, this year’s salary survey demonstrates, yet again, that businesses are contributing to the persistent gender pay gap and alienating top female employees by continuing to pay men and women unequally. This kind of bad management is damaging UK businesses and must be addressed.” - Petra Wilton, Director of Policy and Research, CMI.

Want to know more?

Title: The 2011 National Management Salary Survey, conducted on behalf of CMI by XpertHR.

Survey details: The survey was undertaken between February 2010 and February 2011. Data was collected from 34,158 employees (14,805 male and 19,353 female) working in executive positions in UK organisations, from junior executives to those at board level. The survey analyses salary and labour turnover data according to job role, region and certain industry sectors.

Availability: The full survey costs £545 for participants and £1,090 for non-participants. To purchase a copy of the report visit www.xperthr.co.uk/salary-surveys/management-salary-survey.

CMI is the “only chartered professional body dedicated to raising standards of management and leadership across all sectors of UK commerce and industry.” For more information visit www.managers.org.uk.

XpertHR is the “award-winning employment intelligence service for HR professionals”. Visit www.xperthr.co.uk for more information.