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• for full-time employees, the gap between men and women was 8.3%
• for part-time employees, where there are far more women, women earned more than men by about 2.8%

What causes the gender pay gap?

One reason to explain gender pay inequality (or the gender “pay gap”) is employment type.

Women are more likely to be the primary carers in families and are more often found in caring employment than men. Over 38% of women work part-time, compared to just 14% of men. This, overall, leads to women earning less. However, women who are working part-time tend to work in lower skilled, lower paid roles. These are known as the ‘5 C’s’: caring, clerical, cashiering, catering, and cleaning. Only 12% of women who work part-time in the private sector are in high-skilled jobs.

Men are often reluctant to apply for employment which involves looking after children, older people or others who require support. There are, for example, many more female than male primary teachers in Scotland with 89% compared to 11%. In the secondary school sector, the gender employment differences are not as wide but remain statistically significant at 65% female teachers and only 35% male teachers.

How does society view different employment types?

Society in general puts a lower economic value on the contribution of carers than it does for employment such as finance or engineering where men are most likely to be found. Employment such as carers and those in cleaning, catering, cashiering and clerical, are often referred to as '5C' jobs.

Overwhelmingly female, many caring jobs are part-time and lack job security and other attractive features such as paid holidays and company pension plans. Six million women in the UK work part-time, which equates to 40% of all women who work. Women are also far more likely to work as unpaid carers, looking after relatives.

How does maternity affect employment?

Every year in the UK around 54,000 women lose their jobs because of pregnancy or taking maternity leave.

What is the glass ceiling?

The glass ceiling refers to a situation where women can see the path to the jobs at the top of an organisation, but there are invisible barriers preventing them from obtaining these posts. These barriers could include inflexible or extended hours of work which reduce opportunities for women caring for young children. In 2023, the Sex and Power Report revealed that only 7% of Scotland’s top businesses were led by women although women make up more than 40% of the UK workforce.