Fareham MP says more still needs to be done to tackle gender pay gap

MP Suella Fernandes.
11/12/2015

caption: Fareham MP Suella Fernandes.

Picture: Sarah Standing (151992-379c) PPP-160806-120458001 — MP Suella Fernandes. 11/12/2015 caption: Fareham MP Suella Fernandes. Picture: Sarah Standing (151992-379c) PPP-160806-120458001

FRESH figures have shown the average hourly pay for women at companies such as Virgin Money, easyJet and Ladbrokes is more than 15 per cent lower than their male counterparts.

More than 500 organisations with 250 or more workers have so far published their gender pay gap figures, which reveal the difference in the average pay and bonuses for female and male employees.

For easyJet, the mean hourly rate for women was 52 per cent lower than for men, while the figure stood at 15 per cent lower for Ladbrokes and 33 per cent lower at Virgin Money.

All three firms said men and women in the same roles were paid the same, and put the gender pay gap down to having more men in higher-paid positions.

At airline easyJet, for example, just six per cent of its pilots - who earn an average salary of £92,400 - are women, while females make up 69 per cent of its cabin crew, earning £24,800 on average.

The firm said it was actively seeking to recruit more female pilots, with a target of 20% of new entrant pilots being women by 2020.

Ladbrokes Coral Group said the gender pay gap was ‘largely a function of weak representation at our senior levels’, and said it was looking to improve gender representation.