Men are paid an average 9% more than women across a variety of roles in the digital industry, according to a new study by The Candidate, with 80% of the top salaries going to men.
Data generated for the Women in Digital report, which looks at 150 digital businesses across the north of England, shows that although the salary gap in digital is lower than the national average of 9.4%, women are still underpaid – with 44% of men falling within the £21,000-£30,000 bracket, and 43% of women earning less than £20,000.
Interestingly, men were found to demand a 17% higher salary than women, despite only actually receiving 9% more. Women are now being urged to request higher salaries upon entering jobs in an effort to help close the gap.
“Gender equality and offering women the same opportunities as men when it comes to job roles and salaries is something that every business should be striving towards,” said Brian Matthews, managing partner at The Candidate.
“The wage gap within the digital industry is closing and whilst, at 9%, it is 0.4% less than the national average, there is still a way to go until gender equality is reached.”
However, Matthews said that although the report showed more men are paid in a higher salary bracket, an attributing factor to this is the rise in women moving into the digital industry on entry level salaries.
“This is extremely promising – the rise of women entering the sector can only be a positive step,” he said.
The Women in Digital report has also revealed an increasingly apparent gender gap in the digital industry, with almost double the number of men than women working in the sector.
According to the study, the number of men taking up management positions is 156% higher than women, while just 18 out of the 150 businesses involved in the research headed up by women.
