12 April 2018
Flicking through a history textbook, you can find examples of changes that have occurred in order to make the rights of women more equal to their male counterparts. Being awarded the vote in 1918 is just one.
There are also examples where women have been absent from vocations until long after their establishment. In Britain specifically, it wasn’t until 1965 that the country appointed its first female High Court judge, 1977 that it Britain’s first female train driver stepped behind the wheel and 1991 that the country’s first female astronaut was selected.
Men have not been free from exclusion either – it was only in 2015 that the Government introduced shared parental leave.
The differences that lie between men and women have been highlighted once more as for the first time UK companies (with 250 or more than employees) must report on their gender pay gap.
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average pay of men and women at an employer, whatever role they perform – it is different from equal pay reporting.
With the first report published this month, over the last few weeks, OT has spoken to a number companies in optics about this, and the findings make an interesting read.
In terms of the gender pay gap, while Boots Opticians’ female employees have a median hourly rate that is 21% lower than male employees, this increases to 22% at Vision Express. At Moorfields Eye Hospital, the median hourly rate of women is 18.5% lower than men.
When commenting on the disparity, many have highlighted a high proportion of men in senior positions, and large numbers of women in junior roles.
Read OT’s full article and share your views on the AOP’s community forums.
Image credit: Getty
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