'Pay discrimination a myth'

BRITISH women are paid a third less than men on average - the widest gap in the European Union, researchers have found.

But they dismiss as a 'myth' that the discrepancy is due to employers discriminating against female workers.

Their report - released on Monday - found that men and women are paid a similar wage for the same job.

It says the reason for the gap is down to social factors such as personal choice, marriage and children which mean that women in Britain tend to fill lower-paid jobs.

Women are also more likely to work part-time, the report by market analysts Datamonitor found. It shows the average pay of a woman in Britain was two-thirds that of a man. That compared with some 90% in France, Germany and Italy and 85% in Holland and Sweden.

The gap in Britain is widest for teenage girls, who earn just 26% of what the average teenage boy is paid.

The report says female earning power climbs rapidly at the age of 25 and peaks at 35 to 49, when women are paid an average of 72% of what their male peers earn.

It dips again for women over 50, who are typically paid 61% of what men of the same age earn.

The report says employers are not discriminating against women, who are paid the same as men in similar jobs.

It claims the difference in pay is due to social factors such as marriage and children. While women ease off at work when they marry and have children, men in the same situation are likely to work harder. Datamonitor says jobs favoured by men are typically better paid and in the private sector.

Women prefer careers in nursing, teaching and other public service roles which are renowned for their low pay.

Part-time jobs were another factor. Britain has ten% more part-time working women than any other EU country.

Datamonitor analyst Andrew Russell said: 'The results are more to do with the jobs women take rather than any inherent discrimination.

'Women are drawn towards occupations such as social work, nursing and teaching, which traditionally in Britain have low rates of pay compared with countries like France, Sweden and Netherlands. It is a myth to talk about discrimination. Women doing the same jobs as men have the same pay and opportunities.

'The gap is not explicable by any deep-rooted or outright discrimination. There are lots more women in part-time roles and this will also bring average salaries down.'

The gap is closing as more girls go to university and choose professions such as law and accountancy, Datamonitor's report claims.

It says awareness of increased earning power is making young women more ambitious than previous generations.

Women are also increasingly likely to return to work after childbirth to continue their careers, further closing the gap, the report claims.