Mr Average Gets a Free House In His Lifetime That Ms Average Doesn't

minimoocow

I completely agree that men and women have physical and mental differences - the question is really why are we prepared to pay more for traditionally "male" traits rather than "female" ones?

Roles such as teachers or nurses may be more suited to a so called "female" personality but will never command the same salaries as someone occupying a more traditionally male role as a manager or businessMAN!

I don't buy the arguement that it is because the traditionally male roles are more demanding as I know plenty of women who have delibrately chosen to go back to work rather than bring up children because they couldn't face it . . .

oh and it appears to be the people in those traditionally male roles that have brought this country to it's knees over the last year . . .

ixwood

If woman want to earn more, they should choose high paying careers. There is no discrimination/issue.

abaxas

"miss out on £369,000 over her working life"

Or as employers like to call it the 'not return to work after having kids' risk allowance.

PasturesNew

I've always had the belief that if a job advert says Salary £13-17k and they choose a woman they're more likely to offer her the £13k end and if they choose a man they're more likely to offer him the £17k end. This then has a knock on effect in the next job as a lot of applications ask all your previous salaries.

By asking you for your current and previous salaries they're pigeon-holing you.

As a single female, I feel I've suffered my entire working life due to women's lower pay and the attitude that at some point I'd be dashing off to pop out kids. Added to that it's an unspoken assumed that you don't need to pay women so much because there's some man bringing proper money in.

Certainly in the private sector a lot more of this thinking has gone on over the last 30 years.

minimoocow

ok so women have to choose the higher paying job AND choose not to have children - men don't have to make that choice - they get the career and the family!

adr0ck

mitchaa wrote: »

The average figure now stands at £26,020.

The figures you are quoting does not take into account the P-T element.

just quoting the data in the link

i wouldn't expect someone working PT to be able to afford a house so that data should be ignored

(it's only relevant when talking about couples where one full time wage and one part time wage should be used)

Cannon_Fodder

On the average UK salary front, people need to keep an eye out for occasions when stats are quoting "household income".

I have noticed this to be around the £35K mark. Confuses some readers.


On the female v male front, in my office a year ago we had 5 people, on 17K, 19K, 24K, 26K and 31K...all doing pretty much the same job for 5+ years.

The past education, job experience, training, conscientiousness, capability, willingness, time-keeping, attitude, etc, etc etc...varied wildly.

No stats could possibly take into account those wildly varying factors and arrive at what each person "should" be paid.

While you cannot discriminate on the basis of sex, i.e. that someone might end up having children; it will however affect the stats that the time spent on maternity will not earn pay rises or bonuses. And the absence means they might miss out on doing something that progresses their career...

Friend of mine, had two kids in 3 years, has spent less than 12 months of the 3 years at work...she doesn't expect to catch up for lost pay rises and bonuses, she's bright enough to appreciate its "her choice".

kennyboy66_2

There is also reseach (or 'evidence') that homosexual men earn more than heterosexual men and that afro-carribean men earn less than afro-carribean women.

If you are an afro-carribean male would you be better off changing your sexuality or having a sex change ?

amcluesent

Women coming back into the workplace after having children suffer from 'nappy brain', I'd suggest. No chance of getting ahead!

SingleSue

Unfortunately not a crock of the brown stuff.

Ok this is going back a few years but it happened to me.....office junior (male), not been with the company long and was a bit eek for turning up on time and had countless days off due to hangovers. Me, always arriving early and very few missed days of work (even turning up on crutches despite being given 14 days medical certificate) and more responsibility.

Bonus time comes (they were part of our contract)....the junior got 3 times the bonus as me and the other female non managerial member, when we asked for clarification on how it was worked out (work performace etc), the answer was because he was male (at that time, it was a fairly male dominated sector, females tended to be in the tea making, secretary sort of line but we were not).

We disputed it and quoted various equality laws and our bonuses were increased in line.