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Women in IT 'a fifth worse off than men'
Mind the pay gap - but are things getting better?

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Thursday 30 October 2008

The majority of female IT workers still believe their wages don't match up to those of male colleagues - despite almost four decades of the UK Equal Pay Act.

More than half (53 per cent) of respondents to the third annual Perceptions of Equal Pay survey, conducted by IT trade association Intellect, either believe their salary is not comparable to male colleagues who perform a similar role, or else do not know whether it is. Meanwhile, half also feel equal pay is the sole area in which company policy is only followed in theory.

Being kept in the dark about pay is an ongoing problem for women in IT, with 57 per cent of respondents saying they believe their company does not have a transparent pay structure - a figure that has remained the same since the survey began in 2006.

Meanwhile the gender pay gap in IT remains worse than the national average. Female techies face a pay gap of more than a fifth (around 21 per cent), according to Intellect, compared to a national average of 17 per cent.

30 October is equal pay campaign group the Fawcett Society's 'No Pay Day' - or the date from which women work 'for free' until the end of the year, given the male/female pay gap. But the group calculates this using the national gender pay gap and the average salary so female IT workers are likely to have been working for 'free' already.

That said, there are signs things are getting better. According to the survey, women in IT feel the pay gap is narrowing: the number of respondents who think their pay matches up to men has risen from 37 per cent in 2006 to 47 per cent this year.

Gillian Arnold, chair of Intellect's Women in IT group, said in a statement: "Whilst many women still believe that they are paid less than their male colleagues, they are aware that their companies are starting to do something about it."

The survey also found a bigger majority of the women than in previous years believe there is no glass ceiling when it comes to promotions, with 80 per cent saying they think their organisation encourages women and men equally to apply for promotion, and 77 per cent feeling they would be treated the same if they asked to be promoted.

The majority of respondents also feel diversity and flexible working are supported by their organisation (55 per cent and 59 per cent respectively).

Organisations looking to attract tech-savvy women should consider conducting an equal pay audit: a large majority (69 per cent) of survey respondents said this would encourage them to work for a particular company. An even bigger majority (77 per cent) believe pay audits should be compulsory for all organisations.

Only a fraction (eight per cent) of respondents said their company has carried out an equal pay audit, although this figure is over double that of the last two years, the survey found. The majority (68 per cent) did not know if a pay audit had been conducted.

More than half (66 per cent) of the women surveyed said they had not taken maternity leave, the survey also found.

Carrie Hartnell, programme manager at Intellect, added in a statement: "There have been some positive moves made within the industry to improve equality, and this is borne out in the improved perceptions that women are showing. There is much to be proud of with many signs of improvement, yet more work needs to be done if the industry is to reduce the pay gap."

What is your experience of pay in IT? Is there a pay gap and do you believe equal pay audits should be compulsory? Make your views known by posting a Reader Comment below…