Preston has fifth smallest gender pay gap in Lancashire

Men are paid 6.5 percent more than women – which is just over half of Lancashire’s average gender pay gap (11.6%), according to new ONS data used by financial experts Forbes Advisor. Women fare better in Chorley where the wage difference is 5.8 percent while South Ribble was the worst performer of the three areas with 7.6 percent.

The wage differences in Preston, Chorley and South Ribble are smaller than the national average, which in April 2021 was 7.9 percent, continuing the downward trend. It was 7 percent in April 2020 and 9 percent in April 2019.

Burnley is the only authority in the county where women earn more than men , coming in at 4 percent. St Helens and Pendle also have smaller gender pay gaps than the rest of the county, with men earning 4 percent and 5.8 percent more than women, respectively.

On the other end of the scale, Fylde has the worst gender pay gap in Lancashire, with men being paid 26.9 percent more than women.

West Lancashire is the county’s second worst area, with 25.3 percent, followed by Hyndburn (19.8 percent), Knowsley (18.2 percent) and Lancaster (14.9 percent).

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Forbes Advisor said: “These figures shed light on the concerning gender inequality which still persists in Lancashire. It’s not enough to tweet about gender equality in the wake of International Women’s Day, we all have a responsibility to ensure that everyone is equally compensated for their labour. Not only do men earn 11.6% more than women across Lancashire as a whole, but in local authorities such as Fylde, men are earning up to 26.9% more than women, which shows that we have a long way to go before achieving fair pay.”

Nationally, there remains a large difference in gender pay gap between employees aged 40 years and over and those aged below 40 years.

Meanwhile, compared with lower-paid employees, higher earners experience a much larger difference in hourly pay between the sexes.

For more information and statistics, please head to https://www.forbes.com/ or https://www.ons.gov.uk/