A survey conducted by CV-Library on 1,200 UK workers has revealed that 64% of men were comfortable asking for a pay rise, compared to just 43% of women.
On top of this, when women did ask for a pay rise, this averaged at around 2% of their salary, in comparison to men receiving a rise between 3-5%.
This is unwelcoming news following the publishing of Gender Pay Reports earlier this month, which revealed that the gap had widened in favour of men, at nearly half of the UK’s largest companies and public sector bodies over the past year.
The reports evidence that almost 80% of companies pay men more than women with more than a quarter paying female employees up to 20% than their male counterparts.
Lee Biggins, CEO of CV-Library, commented in response to the survey, that a way to tackle the gender pay gap, is to “take ownership” of your pay by negotiating your salary. He said that; “in this day and age, it’s concerning to see that women are still holding back from negotiations in the workplace. Whether it’s salary, working hours or job title, it’s important to be direct with your employer about your needs.”
However, this should not detract from the responsibility that employers should be placing on themselves to try and reduce their gender pay gaps, as opposed to leaving it to employees to attempt to close the gap themselves.