Research highlights that 80% of industries in the UK presented are guilty of presenting a pay gap between males being paid more than females. Just 3% of 273 industries reported by ONS were found to pay men and women equally. Consequently, this leaves 17% of UK industries where men are paid less than women- presenting a questionable hidden gender pay gap. Analysis from Savoystewart.co.uk highlights certain gaps that go merely unnoticed. Results highlighted industries where women are getting paid more than men. Shockingly, the widest gender pay gap presented across all industries, is midwifery, where women are earning 62% more than men. We spoke with Amy Leversidge, Employment Relations Advisor, from The London College of Midwifery to understand why this is: “I suspect the reason these figures present a massive difference, is because there are so few male midwives. Over 99 percent of midwives are women- 130 are men. In fact, all NHS staff who are not doctors, dentist or senior managers, are paid under a gender for change system, (where) pay rates are matched against each other. Therefore, it seems this is likely to be a statistical anomaly due to the number of male midwives, rather than an issue to do with pay”. In accordance with what Amy claims, does this act as evidence that the gender pay gap may be valid in accordance to gender popularity in certain industries? According to data collected by Savoystewart.co.uk, this is an unacceptable excuse for the gender pay gap:

• Out of nine of the industries where women are earning more than men, the highest pay gap presents a difference of earnings of up to 25% more at the most.
• However, out of 10 of the industries where men are being paid more than woman, the difference in earnings were all higher than 26%.
• This is explored further when looking at Financial Managers and Directors, women are paid 36% less than men. However, the disparity between the presence of men to women in these sectors, are only 59:41.
• Comparatively, female personal assistants and secretaries are paid 17.5% more than men, although 91% of the industry is taken up by females.
• Similarly, 44% of females work as a medical practitioner, yet the gender pay gap stands at 29% for the industry; whereas 68% of physiotherapists are women, yet the pay gap is a lot smaller, with men earning just 16% of what women earn.

Overall analysis from Savoystewart.co.uk, highlights that the segregation in the labour market cannot simply act as an excuse for the gender pay gap. Although there are less women working in certain industries, when compared with other industries where there are more men than women, the pay gap is a lot smaller. For the claim that the pay gap is due to less women working in the industries to be valid, the pay gap would have to be similarly comparable in relation to both genders.