Lack of transparency around salaries hinders women
A recent survey from Glassdoor, the jobs and insights agency, has found that women across the UK are at a disadvantage because of a lack of transparency around salaries. A mere 25% of full-time employees in the UK strongly agree that their employer is transparent about pay with 54% of workers admitting they aren’t comfortable discussing their salary with their boss.
The survey suggests that the lack of discussion around pay is contributing to inequality for women. Sixty-seven percent of female workers didn’t ask for a salary increase in 2020, which equates to 30% more than men. In the last year, 35% of those working in the female-dominated industries of education, healthcare, and hospitality asked for a wage increase compared to 62% of those working in the traditionally male-dominated world of finance and 56% in tech.
According to the results of the survey, women are also 26% less likely than their male counterparts to ask for more money in the next 12 months, with 37% of women planning to ask for a pay rise next year.
The survey revealed that over half (56%) of women admit they lack the confidence to ask for a pay rise and as a result, only 33% of female workers negotiated the salary of their last job offer (compared to 45% of men). Two in five (43%) women revealed that they simply accepted the salary that was offered to them (compared to 35 percent of men).
Nearly three in four of all employees (73 percent) got the wage increase they asked for last year, indicating that women will continue to miss vital opportunities to increase their earning potential.
Jill Cotton, Career Expert at Glassdoor commented: “Workplace transparency is a hallmark of many successful companies and more transparency is needed in the future. One in two women admit to lacking confidence at work – companies should open an honest discussion around salary from the point that the role is advertised and throughout the person’s time with the organisation. Having clear salary bands limits the need for negotiation which, as the Glassdoor research shows, has a detrimental effect on female employees’ ability to earn throughout their career.
