A recent study has elicited a stark revelation concerning women’s attitudes towards self-worth and remuneration, indicating a substantial pay gap even before women apply for jobs. The eye-opening report indicates that women commonly undervalue their worth by as much as £9,000 a year when applying for jobs compared to their male counterparts.
This discovery stems from a comprehensive survey conducted by the job search site Adzuna. The company analyzed the self-allocated salaries of about a half-million job seekers, the results of which were disconcerting, casting an important light on gender wealth disparity in the UK’s job market.
Disproportionate figures were observed across different professions, with women customarily anticipating to earn £9,000 less annually than men for equivalent roles, resulting in a predicted pay of 85p for every £1 that a man earns. Disparities were most pronounced in sectors such as healthcare, recruitment, property, and energy, where women estimated their earnings to be £10,000 to £15,000 lower than men.
In the realm of healthcare, women foresaw making £25,000 a year, a stark contrast to the men’s expectation of £35,000. In recruitment and property industries, men anticipated annual earnings of approximately £40,000 while women forecasted about £30,000.
Furthermore, the survey highlighted the fact that even entry-level positions are not insulated from this disparity. Male graduates aimed for average salaries of £25,000, whereas female students expected £5,000 less. Young women’s starting salary expectations were reportedly 14% lower on average than their male counterparts.
These figures suggest a deeply ingrained socio-cultural bias that perpetuates gender wage disparity from the get-go. It is crucial to distinguish that this is not a wage gap caused by employers, but rather a self-imposed pay discrepancy happening before the first job application is even sent.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said, “Women are selling themselves short in the jobs market by expecting lower pay – this is subtly ingrained gender bias, not raw economics.” He emphasised the role of self-confidence, societal norms, and unconscious bias in triggering such disparities.
This revelation wedges a crucial crack in the false façade that the gender pay gap is solely an “employer problem.” Instead, it uncovers a deeply rooted societal construct that calls for immediate attention. Hunter adds, “Heaping all the responsibility for the ongoing gender pay gap on employers alone is oversimplified and misleading.”
Hunter suggests that a proactive, multi-faceted approach should be sought, where screens and messages challenging these skewed expectations ought to be integrated into the application process itself. Encouraging aspirational thinking among women job seekers from an early stage could help bridge the pre-application wage chasm.
In responding to these findings, Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, said addressing this issue is a joint responsibility. She added, “Young women do not know their worth. We need to build their confidence and ensure they are negotiating their pay.”
The insights from this survey corroborate the notion that the fight against gender pay disparity also needs an inward-looking lens. Gender pay gap regulations, stricter policies, and company audits play a substantial role in this fight, but an equally significant battle lies in challenging and transforming societal perceptions. It is a call for collective corrective action aimed at empowering women to not sell themselves short from the start.
Original Source: https://hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/diversity-news/women-sell-themselves-9000-short-before-they-even-apply-for-jobs/386975
