insideMAN

  • Who we are
  • Men’s Insights
  • Men’s Issues
  • Men’s Interests
  • About Men

If you’re under 40, the biggest gender pay gap is experienced by men

August 11, 2014 by Inside MAN 7 Comments

Today David Cameron became the latest to declare war on the gender pay gap by announcing companies that pay men more than women will be “named and shamed”. But when you look at the underlying data, you discover that the story we are being sold is a great big statistical lie.

In this article published by insideMAN last year, Glen Poole gave his response to the Labour Party’s own declaration of war on the gender pay gap which it said would take 60 years to close at the current rate.

How many times in your life have you heard that women are getting paid less than men? It’s one of the top three reasons given to support the claim that it’s a man’s world, the other two being “men have all the power” and “all women live in fear of violence by men”.

We’ll probably have a look at power and violence another day, but in the meantime, has anyone ever told you that the gender pay gap is a lie?

Last week the Labour Party–who were criticised by the UK Statistics Authority for misleading the public on the gender pay gap last time they were in power—declared that they would put closing the 19.7% gender pay gap at the heart of their next manifesto.

What the Labour Party didn’t tell us was that women under 40 in the UK are now earning the same or more than men! If you don’t believe me then here’s the official line from the government’s Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS):

“The full time gender pay gap is very low for those in the age groups between 18 and 39, for whom the gap now sits at or around zero.”

The real statistics paint a different picture 

And here, if you need further proof, are the figures from the DCMS’s 2014 report, Secondary Analysis of the Gender Pay Gap (catchy title huh?):

>18-21 year olds, men working full time earn 1.4% more an hour on average

>22-29 year olds, women working full time earn 0.3% more an hour on average

>30-39 year olds, men working full time earn 1% more an hour on average

And for part-time workers:

>18-21 year olds, men working part time earn 1.2% more an hour on average

>22-29 year olds, women working part time earn 0.9% more an hour on average

>30-39 year olds, women working part time earn 8.2% more an hour on average

And yet we are still told, with the help of official figures, that the pay gap for all workers under 40 still favours men:

>Men aged 18-21 earn 3.5% more than women an hour on average

>Men aged 22-29 earn 5.3% more than women an hour on average

>Men aged 30-39 earn 12% more than women an hour on average

But hang on a goddam statistical minute, how is this possible?

If women in their twenties are earning 0.3% more than men when they work full time and 0.9% more than men when they work part time, how on earth can they those same men be earning 5.3% more an hour than women on average?

As the government itself acknowledges “the pay gap for all employees still exists” and “the differences between part time and full time pay are significant in driving this”. This is not surprising when women are twice as likely to be working part time in their twenties and 4.5 times more likely to be working part time in their thirties.

Put simply, part-timers get paid less; more women opt to work part-time and therefore women on average earn less than men.

The gender pay gap is a problem for men

So why is the gender pay gap a problem for men? Well, earnings for women aged between 30 and 39 have risen faster than any other group since the late nineties to the point where they now earn 1% less than men working full time and 8% more than men working part time—and yet because the misleading headline figure tells us women in their thirties earn 12% less than men the pressure is on employers to keep narrowing this statistical gap.

What campaigners for “equal pay” are essentially arguing is that women in their thirties (for example) should be paid more than men per hour in order to reduce the headline pay gap—and then we’ll have gender equality. Put another way, when one sex (men) earn more than the other sex (women) we need to correct that statistical inequality by paying one sex (women) more than the other sex (men)—and then all will be well in the world.

It sounds absurd, but this is the logic that is driving our national and international thinking on gender equality in the workplace—it’s a gender political narrative that wants you to believe that all women have problems and all men are the problem.

For women under 40 working full-time there is no pay gap

And yet for women under 40 who are working full time— which is 72% of women in their twenties and 62% of women in their thirties— there is no pay gap. The most significant pay gap for people under 40 is not the gap between women and men, but the gap between full-time workers and those who choose, for whatever reason, to work part-time which is:

>18-21: 50% of men and 65% of women

>22-29: 15% of men and 30% of women

>30-39: 8% of men and 38% of women

The pay gap is certainly a minority problem, but for people under 40 it’s not women who are in the minority but part-time workers, both male and female. Of course the loudest voices campaigning on the pay gap don’t want you to know this because they aren’t driven by the politics of equality, they are driven by the type of gender politics that advocates for all women and against all men.

So why should men be bothered about this? If only 8% of men in their thirties are working part-time, who gives a shit if those men get paid less? They could just get their fingers out and get a full-time job like the other 92% of hardworking men aged 30-39!

Well my dear brothers, you could be next!

Employers are under constant social pressure to keep closing the headline gender pay gap and the only way to address this statistical anomaly at present is to pay women more per hour than men.

Men in their thirties who work part-time are now paid 8% less than their female counterparts so who’ll be next? Well men in their twenties are already earning slightly less than women—whether they work part time or full time—and the gap looks set to keep growing, with full-time male workers in the thirties the next in line.

The question for all men is this: is this a trend you want to continue or do you want men and women to have an honest and open debate about pay equality—a debate that isn’t based on the big white lie that the “gender pay gap” has sadly become?

If you want to help us make this debate happen, why not try asking a few people if they knew that the only group under 40 to suffer a significant gender pay gap are men in their thirties who work part time—and see how they respond.

Oh and let us know how you get on in the comments below, we’d love to hear your experiences of starting discussions on this issue.

—Photo credit: Flickr/Images of Money

If you liked this article and want to read more, follow us on Twitter @insideMANmag and Facebook

Article by Glen Poole author of the book Equality For Men

Also on insideMAN:

  • Male graduates caught in gender employment gap
  • Lack of men in childcare is driving gender pay gap says UK fatherhood charity
  • Radical reform for male prisoners not politically acceptable says UK expert
  • Teenage boy tells Yvette Cooper she has no right to re-educate boys as feminists
  • Gaza: why does it concern us more when women and children die?
  • Do men start wars?
  • New book highlights sexism against men in Scotland

Share article

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: are women paid less than men for doing the same job, articles by Glen Poole, DCMS, gender pay gap, Labour Party, pay gap statistics, sub-story, UK Statistics Authority, what is the gender pay gap

  • Nigel

    Started the conversation. Got dis-belief. Despite the fact that in public services (where I work) there is transparent pay rates. What actually happened is that people didn’t think hard and conflate part time pay (somehow thinking that the total should be made up to as much as paying full time ???) and the fact many men are in management in other industries as being proof of the “pay gap”. The startling thing is that I work with supposedly well educated professional people who “believe” in the “gap” and advance arithmetic illiterate proofs! I’m actually genuinely surprised. Shows the power of the repeated sound bite.

  • Pingback: Anonymous()

  • Nigel

    Reflecting on this what also doesn’t get a look in is the experience of men. So when my three children were young for 6 years I had two jobs. My main one salaried with no overtime and the secondary one based on the work coming in. Both were “pen pusher” jobs so I can’t complain. Later promotion meant my main pay increased. Not an unusual at all. Yet it never seems to occur to anyone to as, or even acknowledge men’ s general experiences and what they thing of it. At the time it was frustrating to miss time with my family but the bills needed paying, I wasn’t looking for thanks. Bbut later it became irritating the way that this experience , working hard for all your family , is trashed as somehow a “bad thing” that ( mainly) men do as some sort of plot against women. It is this lofty disregard for the practicalities of life particularly those men face that seems such a feature of those such as the Fawcett Soc. who appear imagine a world where choices are easy and in connected to the essentials of life.

    • Inside MAN

      Yes, when I first really looking at this issue about 5 years ago I was struck by the left’s narrative which essentially said that childcare is a burden (poor women) and work is a privilege (lucky men) and so behind the pay gap is a narrative that lionizes women and demonizes men and it struck me instantly how much healthier (and honest) it would be to honour and celebrate the contributions that both women AND men make and acknowledge that both parenting and work can be an absolute privilege and a joy—-and both can be a drudge and a burden

  • Garry Clarkson

    Always nice to read Glen’s posts as they are accurate without being preachy or dismissive. Unfortunately this narrative is still pushed through social media and otherwise highly qualified academics. Agree with most of the points here. Having a quite secure income from the public sector (but still only part-time for 17 years with no promotion to full time despite working long hours 8 – 8 most days of the 2.5 days I am there) combine this with other jobs in order to bring my daughter up mostly on my own for 17 years has a strain on physical and mental health. I always seem to be working (or seeking work) as I am self-employed most of the week. I didn’t chose the situation I have no choice. Its work or be homeless. Yet my income is lower than most women of the same qualifications/age. But I don’t highlight that there’s a ‘gender pay harp’. Its because its a ‘parent pay gap’ not a ‘gender’ one. I CHOSE to prioritise the upbringing of my daughter and to provide rather than complain about a non-existent economic deficiency. If there was a pay gap based on ‘gender’ then employers would only employ women (to cut the wage bill). Its non-sense.

  • NickyB

    Sady you cannot argue the ‘facts’ as the concept is so ingrained. The poetry of this was beautifully exemplified by Wimbledon several years ago when they ‘equalised’ the tournament winners pay between the sexes (the men’s game remained longer with more matches).

    The transfer of economic power to women is a logical consequence of a consumerist society in which females make 80% of purchases and anyway a womans work is never done: remember she has a ‘second shift’ (another concept drip fed steadily over the past decade by feminist academics) so even if women (hyperthtically) did get paid more than males for the same work it is legitimised by the ‘second shift’ AND that women are more likely to take a career break to raise children. Overpaying women is probably wise to counter this male hegemony.

    Fact has been replaced by fantasy; men as human beings have become lost in this modern ‘cult of woman’: Simply stand aside and accept her presence.

  • Laszlo Boruzs

    I am really sad to read this kind of news. Its just frustrating that If you are an ordinary guy they can say whatever they want about you and then even discriminate against you when it comes to salaries and promotions. ?

    Is there anyone out there addressing these issues at all ????

InsideMAN is committed to pioneering conversations about men, manhood and masculinity that make a difference. We aim to create spaces where the voices of men, from many different backgrounds, can be heard. It’s time to have a new conversation about men. We'd love you to be a part of it.

insideNAN cover image  

Buy the insideMAN book here

Be first to get the latest posts from insideMAN

To have new articles delivered direct to your inbox, add your name and email address below.

Latest Tweets

  • Why Abused By My Girlfriend was a watershed moment for male victims of domestic abuse and society @ManKindInit… https://t.co/YyOkTSiWih

    3 weeks ago
  • Thanks

    5 months ago
  • @LKMco @MBCoalition @KantarPublic Really interesting.

    5 months ago

Latest Facebook Posts

Unable to display Facebook posts.
Show error

Error: Error validating application. Application has been deleted.
Type: OAuthException
Code: 190
Please refer to our Error Message Reference.

Copyright © 2019 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.