Posted on Wednesday 14th December 2016, by James Howell
A new government report has revealed the extent of the gender pay gap among graduates.
According to a new report from the Department for Education, after five years female graduates earn an average of £6,500 a year less than male graduates. The Longitudinal Education Outcomes estimates that the highest achieving male graduates earn on average of £37,500 a year while the highest achieving women earn just £31,000 per annum.
For lower achieving graduates the gap in salaries was also apparent, with male graduates earning £20,000 in contrast to £17,500 after five years.
A government spokesperson says it is the lowest pay gap in history, but there's some way to go.
"No woman should be held back just because of her gender. We now have the lowest gender pay gap on record, and we are working to get more women into the top jobs at our biggest companies," the spokesperson says.
"But we know there's more to do - that's why we are requiring employers to publish their gender pay and gender bonus gap for the first time from April and we are working to get more girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths subjects so that they get into more lucrative professions when they are older."
A graduate-jobs.com study found that female graduates often expected to earn less than male counterparts in 2014.
Sam Smethers, the Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, told The Independent the issue needs a complete overhaul.
"We have the best educated female workforce that we have ever had but these figures show that we are just not getting them into the right roles at the right levels," she says. "The pay gap is a productivity gap. We need to end occupational segregation and open up senior roles to flexible & part-time work."
Image Credit: Eutah Mizushima