A new study has revealed the occupations that have the largest differences between what men earn and what women earn hourly, which is referred to as the gender pay gap.
Personal injury experts at Claims.co.uk examined data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to discover which occupations have the largest gender pay gaps. They collected the male and female median hourly earnings and calculated the differences in pay for each occupation, thus determining which ones have the largest gender pay gap percentage.
Barristers and judges are at the top of the ranking, with the largest gap between male and female hourly earnings. Female barristers and judges earn an astonishing £8.31 less an hour than their male counterparts, meaning they are paid 29.1% less than men in this occupation.
Financial managers and directors are close behind in second place, with women being paid approximately £11.56 less an hour than men in the same occupation. This leaves female workers in this occupation being paid a staggering 28.8% less than their male equals.
The occupation with the third largest gender pay gap is web design professionals, where women are paid £6.32 less an hour than men, or 27.7% less than their male counterparts.
Production, factory and assembly supervisors take fourth place, where female workers earn 26% less than male workers, or £4.46 less an hour.
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By GlobalDataAssemblers of vehicles and metal goods are in sixth place. Female assemblers earn £3.74 less an hour, equating to 23.5% less than male assemblers.
Vehicle technicians, mechanics, and electricians have the sixth largest gender pay gap, with women being paid £3.28 less an hour, or 22.4% less than men.
In seventh place is education managers, where women earn 22% less than men, which is equal to £6.03 less an hour.
Similarly, female nursery education teaching professionals also earn less than their male counterparts – 21.2% less to be exact – placing them eighth. That is equal to women earning £5.10 less an hour than men in this occupation.
Production managers and directors in construction are in ninth place, with female workers earning £5.03 less an hour than men – this equates to women being paid 21% less than men in the same occupation.
Tenth place goes to newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters. Female journalists and reporters earn 20.6% less, or £4.32 less an hour than males.
| Rank | Occupation | Pay gap (£) | Pay gap (%) |
| 1 | Barristers and judges | 8.31 | 29.1% |
| 2 | Financial managers and directors | 11.56 | 28.8% |
| 3 | Web design professionals | 6.32 | 27.7% |
| 4 | Production, factory and assembly supervisors | 4.46 | 26.0% |
| 5 | Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) | 3.74 | 23.5% |
| 6 | Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians | 3.28 | 22.4% |
| 7 | Education managers | 6.03 | 22.0% |
| 8 | Nursery education teaching professionals | 5.10 | 21.2% |
| 9 | Production managers and directors in construction | 5.03 | 21.0% |
| 10 | Newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters | 4.32 | 20.6% |
A spokesperson for Claims.co.uk commented on the findings: “It is interesting to see a significant gender pay gap across the ranking; it is especially prevalent in more traditionally male-orientated occupations, such as assemblers, vehicle technicians, mechanics, and electricians.
“Nonetheless, findings from this study also revealed that high-paying and prestigious roles like barristers, judges, and finance directors shockingly had the largest gender pay gaps in 2023.
“Perhaps in 2024, studies like this will raise awareness of the gender pay gap and precipitate change in these industries, starting with pay reviews.”
