Working women in their early 30s in England are paid less than men of the same age, in the same types of jobs and with the same qualifications.
According to a new study from University College London (UCL) researchers, it also found that women are more likely than men to find work stressful. This suggests that lower pay is not compensated for by less pressured work.
Women without children, on average, earned 9% less per hour than men without children with similar individual characteristics. These included family background, educational qualifications and work experience, as well as job characteristics, including occupation, hours worked and contract type.
This pay gap was even wider for mothers, who earned on average 16% less than men without children. Fathers’ earnings were similar to men without children.
Job satisfaction
The team looked at data from more than 7,200 people in England, born in 1989-90, whose lives are being followed by the Next Steps study. Analysing data collected in 2022-23, they examined information about people’s employment, home and family life, as well as job quality measures, such as work stress, job satisfaction, prospects for career advancement and job security.
Despite these differences in pay, most men and women were happy with their jobs. For example, four in five workers were satisfied or very satisfied with their work. More than 90% thought they were unlikely to lose their jobs in the next 12 months.
Additionally, more than 90% felt they were doing useful work – and more than 65% said their employers motivated them to give their best performance.
‘One theory suggests that women may accept lower pay for less stressful and more enjoyable work, but we do not find evidence of that.’
Dr Bożena Wielgoszewska, of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Dr Bożena Wielgoszewska, of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said: ‘Despite women overtaking men in terms of educational attainment, our new findings highlight sizeable gender pay differences among workers in this well-educated and economically active generation.
‘What is concerning is that women are paid less than men, even when comparing women and men working in similar jobs and with similar characteristics such as their educational attainment and age.
‘One theory suggests that women may accept lower pay for less stressful and more enjoyable work, but we do not find evidence of that.
‘Women are equally likely to be satisfied with their jobs and are actually more likely to find their work stressful than men.’
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