Female workers paid less

The Battle of the Sexes continues in the workplace according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk. Although employers are increasingly introducing programs to promote equality, 30 per cent of female workers in the United Kingdom say they feel they are paid less than their counterparts of the opposite sex with the same skills and qualifications. Thirteen per cent of men in the UK say they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts. The CareerBuilder.co.uk survey, "Workplace Equality," included more than 3,700 workers across seven European countries and also surveyed workers in the United States.

Overall, 38 per cent of the female European workers surveyed, believe they experience pay discrimination when compared to their male counterparts with the same qualifications. Female workers in Germany (45 per cent) were the most likely of those surveyed to report wage discrimination and women in the Netherlands (28 per cent) were the least likely to report wage discrimination.

Per cent of women workers who say they are paid less than their male counterparts with the same skills and qualifications:

· Germany 45 per cent
· France: 43 per cent
· Italy: 36 per cent
· Sweden: 35 per cent
· United Kingdom: 30 per cent
· Spain: 30 per cent
· Netherlands: 28 per cent
· United States: 34 per cent
· Europe Overall: 38 per cent

While female workers in the UK reported less discrimination than European workers overall, there is still much work to be done to promote equality in the workplace. Companies recognise the competitive advantage a diverse workforce provides and are placing more emphasis on recruitment and retention practices that encourage equality.

Author:
Chris Crawford is the MD of BD Recruitment a specialist recruiter for graphic designer jobs, account manager jobs and web programmer jobs, based in Manchester, UK.