Gender inequality in the workplace: A new dawn for an age-old problem

Our previous focus was all about the lead-up to, and immediate aftermath of, the 2015 UK general election – which returned a majority Conservative government for the first time since 1992.

Now, in line with a new initiative launched by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to rid the UK economy of the low pay that still exists for some women, we’ll be bringing the debate to our homepage through a mix of news, interviews and opinion pieces.

Our First Women movement, which has been going for over a decade now, celebrates the very best senior-level business women and professionals this country has to offer. On 11 June 2015, our annual awards night will crown winners in fields ranging from media to manufacturing, and from engineering to entrepreneurship.

Read more about First Women:

• First Women Awards 2015: Outstanding crop of female business leaders feature in shortlist
• EY: Tackling misconceptions surrounding maternity leave
• First Women Summit: What the next UK government should do to help support women

But we can’t be content with simply recognising those women at the top of their game – it is about backing an economy that puts the interests and aspirations of women on an equal footing from a female’s first job out of school or university.

From making sure the nation’s boardrooms are better populated by females to providing more encouragement for women to enter career paths traditionally dominated by men, action must follow discourse.

Over the coming month, we’ll be hearing from those at the head of this movement – the people pushing the envelope when it comes to getting things done.

Recent research conducted by Emolument has found hat females finishing university in the last five years are taking home, on average, 17 per cent less than male counterparts. Even after taking MBAs further along in a career into account, women are paid 13 per cent less. When it comes to bonuses at this stage, men bank an average of £50,000 compared to a woman’s £27,000.

The gender pay gap, according to the Office for National Statistics, is at its starkest between the ages of 40 and retirement – at the moment when workers begin to move into more senior positions having built up years of experience. The UK now has the sixth largest gender pay gap in the European Union, says statistics agency Eurostat, despite Britain being in the G7.

If you have any stories you think would be a good fit for our new focus, or just want to let us know your opinion, please get in touch with as at editors@realbusiness.co.uk.

By Hunter Ruthven

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