Women managers wait for equal pay

Citation

(2004), "Women managers wait for equal pay", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 53 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2004.07953caf.005

Women managers wait for equal pay

The deadline is now passed – the UK now has new active legislation outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief. However, it seems that many UK businesses are aware of their new responsibilities.

The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 came into force in December but 57 per cent of respondents to a survey by Croner indicated that their organisations were not fully prepared for the new legislation.

It is now 30 years since the introduction of the Equal Pay Act and judging by the less than spectacular effects of that legislation, it is perhaps not so surprising that British industry has not quite got its act together on these latest pieces of legislation.

Equal pay for managers has certainly not yet been implemented in many workplaces. The latest findings of the National Management Salary Survey 2003 indicate that at no level, from senior staff to the boardroom, is there any indication of equal pay for women:

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  directors (female, £99,284; male, £148,437);

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  senior function head (female, £84,991; male, £85,713);

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  function head (female, £65,177; male, £66,896);

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  departmental manager (female, £53,257; male, £53,732);

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  section manager (female, £42,378; male, £44,064); and

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  section leader (female, £33,962; male, £35,139).

The disparity is greatest at director level, where male directors on average earn just over £49,000 more than female directors. The narrowest gap is at departmental level where men earn on average just £475 more than their female counterparts.

The commentary with the survey results suggests that “the differential between male and female directors and managers is influenced by age and experience in as much as the average male manager, at 42 years, is some five years older than his typical female counterpart and has some four years longer service with his current employer”.

The study is the most comprehensive information available on current remuneration packages paid to the UK’s managers and directors. It is published by Remuneration Economics and the Chartered Management Institute and covers 449 organisations and 21,778 individuals.

The National Management Salary Survey 2003 costs £600. For further information, go to www.celre.co.uk