Gender pay gap statistics 2021
Research by HR software provider Ciphr suggests that most employees think there is no gender pay gap where they work. The reality is somewhat different, with the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics revealing that many popular job roles in the UK have gender pay gaps. Ciphr analysed the official data to find out which occupations, industries, and geographical locations, have the widest and smallest gender pay gaps in 2021.
Popular occupations in the UK and their gender pay gaps
Based on the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, over 10.6 million people in the UK are employed in just 30 different job roles / occupations. Each of these jobs are held by over 200,000 people or more.
27 of the 30 — that’s 90% of these jobs — pay men more on average, with the gender pay gap in favour of men ranging from -3% for retail cashiers and check-out operators to 30.8% for financial managers and directors. The UK’s average gender pay gap in favour of men is 15.4% in 2021, up from 14.9% in 2020.
- The three largest occupations in 2021, employing over 2.2 million people, are sales and retail assistants, care workers and home carers, and administrative / clerical assistants
- The average gender pay gaps for sales and retail assistants, care workers and home carers, or administrative / clerical assistants are 5%, 1.7%, and 10.5% respectively (in favour of men)
- The majority of people working as sales and retail assistants, care workers and home carers, or administrative / clerical assistants are women (64%, 83%, and 76% of women hold these roles respectively)
- Nursing is the fourth largest occupation in the UK, with over a half a million (547,000) workers – 86% of which are women. It has a 4% gender pay gap in favour of men
- The fifth largest occupation is sales accounts and business development managers, with 461,600 workers (only 40% of which are women) and a 12.5% gender pay gap in favour of men. So, women doing this job typically only earn an average 87p for every pound earned by a man
- Only health professionals nec (not elsewhere classified by the ONS) — including audiologists, dental hygiene therapists, and occupational health advisers — and hairdressers and barbers are reported to have no gender pay gaps at all in 2021
In 2021, the top 30 jobs with the most employees in the UK (and their gender pay gaps) are:
| Number of employees (July 2020 – June 2021) |
Average median gender pay gap in favour of men (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales and retail assistants | 866,900 | 5% |
| Care workers and home carers | 730,500 | 1.7% |
| Other administrative occupations n.e.c. (including administrative assistant, clerical assistant, clerical officer, clerk & office administrator) | 641,100 | 10.5% |
| Nurses | 547,000 | 4% |
| Sales accounts and business development managers | 461,600 | 12.5% |
| Elementary storage occupations (including freight handler, order picker & warehouse worker) | 427,400 | 7.4% |
| Programmers and software development professionals | 421,400 | 4.8% |
| Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks | 407,500 | 7.9% |
| Kitchen and catering assistants | 404,100 | -1% |
| Primary and nursery education teaching professionals | 401,200 | 1.6% |
| Nursing auxiliaries and assistants | 398,200 | 3.4% |
| Secondary education teaching professionals | 378,700 | 3.9% |
| Customer service occupations n.e.c. (including customer adviser, customer service administrator, customer service adviser, customer service assistant & customer services representative) | 325,500 | 1.9% |
| Business and financial project management professionals | 322,200 | 17.4% |
| Teaching assistants | 318,200 | 5.6% |
| Cleaners and domestics | 316,700 | 0.3% |
| Medical practitioners | 279,000 | 6.3% |
| Financial managers and directors | 276,800 | 30.8% |
| Managers and directors in retail and wholesale | 251,300 | 16.1% |
| Large goods vehicle drivers | 245,600 | -0.9% |
| Production managers and directors in manufacturing | 239,700 | 10.7% |
| IT specialist managers | 238,500 | 20.7% |
| Retail cashiers and check-out operators | 231,900 | -3% |
| Van drivers | 226,100 | 7% |
| Teaching and other educational professionals n.e.c. (including adult education tutor, education consultant, music teacher, nursery manager – day nursery & private tutor) | 221,100 | 18% |
| Business and related associate professionals n.e.c. (including business systems analyst, data analyst, marine consultant, planning assistant, project administrator & project coordinator) | 218,100 | 14.3% |
| Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 218,000 | 6.1% |
| National government administrative occupations | 208,400 | 5.6% |
| Higher education teaching professionals | 206,900 | 10.8% |
| Information technology and telecommunications professionals n.e.c. (including IT consultant, quality analyst – computing, software tester, systems tester – computing & telecommunications planner) | 203,100 | 8.6% |
UK cities with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
Derby, St Albans and the City of London have the widest median gender pay gaps in the UK. Organisations based in these three cities have gender pay gaps of over 26% in favour of men (31.3%, 27.4%, and 26.3% respectively).
Other cities with gender pay gaps of 20% or more include Coventry (25.8%), York (21.9%), Lancaster (21.6%), Winchester (21%), and Birmingham (20%). Followed by City of Westminster and Kingston upon Hull, which have gender pay gaps of 19.6% and 18.2% respectively.
In comparison, pay gaps in cities in Scotland and Wales are lower. Scottish and Welsh cities with the widest gender pay gaps include Aberdeen (15.1%), Cardiff (15%), Swansea (9.4%), Glasgow (9.2%), Stirling (9.2%), and Newport (9%).
Full city data:
| City in the UK | Average median gender pay gap (%) |
|---|---|
| Derby UA | 31.3% |
| St Albans | 27.4% |
| City of London | 26.3% |
| Coventry | 25.8% |
| York UA | 21.9% |
| Lancaster | 21.6% |
| Winchester | 21.0% |
| Birmingham | 20.0% |
| City of Westminster | 19.6% |
| Kingston upon Hull UA | 18.2% |
| Oxford | 17.4% |
| Sheffield | 17.4% |
| Lincoln | 17.2% |
| Brighton and Hove UA | 16.8% |
| Lichfield | 16.2% |
Note: Comparable gender pay gap data was not available for the following UK cities: Armagh, Bangor, Bath, Belfast, Chester, Derry, Durham, Ely, Hereford, Inverness, Lisburn, Newry, Perth, Ripon, Salisbury, St Asaph (Llanelwy), St Davids, Stirling, Truro, and Wells.
Parts of the UK with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
| Average median gender pay gap (%) | Average median annual salary | Amount women are typically paid for every pound earned by a man | |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 18.90% | £27,220 | 81p |
| East Midlands | 16.80% | £24,157 | 83p |
| South West | 16.60% | £23,776 | 83p |
| North East | 16.30% | £23,151 | 84p |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 16.20% | £23,800 | 84p |
| London | 16.20% | £34,439 | 84p |
| East of England | 16% | £25,334 | 84p |
| West Midlands | 15.90% | £25,073 | 84p |
| UK average | 15.4% | £25,971 | 85p |
| North West | 13.40% | £24,456 | 87p |
| Wales | 12.30% | £23,550 | 88p |
| Scotland | 11.60% | £26,007 | 88p |
| Northern Ireland | 5.70% | £24,000 | 94p |
Note: Geographical data shown above is for all employees (full-time and part-time) and by place of work (not by place of residence).
UK cities with the lowest gender pay gaps in favour of men include Preston (2.1%), Worcester (3.3%) and Leicester (5.2%).
Top 10 places in England with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
| wdt_ID | Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribble Valley | 48.7 |
| 2 | Wokingham | 38.5 |
| 3 | Redditch | 36.8 |
| 4 | Fylde | 35.2 |
| 5 | Bracknell Forest UA | 35.0 |
| 6 | Hart | 34.9 |
| 7 | Rugby | 34.6 |
| 8 | Rochford | 33.1 |
| 9 | Stevenage | 32.6 |
| Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
Top 10 places in Wales with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
| wdt_ID | Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torfaen / Torfaen | 25.4 |
| 2 | Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy | 23.4 |
| 3 | Flintshire / Sir y Fflint | 21.8 |
| 4 | Powys / Powys | 20.9 |
| 5 | Neath Port Talbot / Castell-nedd Port Talbot | 20.7 |
| 6 | Rhondda Cynon Taf / Rhondda Cynon Taf | 19.5 |
| 7 | Caerphilly / Caerffili | 18.3 |
| 8 | Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | 16.1 |
| 9 | Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | 16.0 |
| 10 | Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | 15.9 |
| Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
Top 10 places in Scotland with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
| wdt_ID | Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Dunbartonshire | 34.1 |
| 2 | East Lothian | 27.3 |
| 3 | Aberdeenshire | 24.2 |
| 4 | South Ayrshire | 23.7 |
| 5 | Shetland Islands | 21.6 |
| 6 | Perth and Kinross | 20.5 |
| 7 | Clackmannanshire | 19.9 |
| 8 | Argyll and Bute | 17.9 |
| 9 | Renfrewshire | 17.8 |
| 10 | Moray | 16.2 |
| Employee’s place of work | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
Occupations with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men
Looking at the data by pay disparity rather than employee numbers, there are many occupations – spanning numerous sectors – with far wider gender pay gaps than the UK average of 15.4%.
The top three occupations in the UK with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men include production managers and directors in mining and energy (44.7%), assemblers – vehicles and metal goods (33.2%), and chemical and related process operatives (32.5%). Followed by financial managers and directors, and metal making and treating process operatives, with gender pay gaps in favour of men of 30.8% and 30.7% respectively.
Top 30 occupations / jobs, with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men in 2021 (showing the average amount women are typically paid for every pound earned by a man):
Top 30 occupations / jobs with the widest gender pay gaps in favour of men in 2021
| wdt_ID | Occupation / job | Average median gender pay gap | Average amount women are typically paid for every pound earned by a man |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Production managers and directors in mining and energy | 44.7% | 55p |
| 2 | Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) | 33.2% | 67p |
| 3 | Chemical and related process operatives | 32.5% | 67p |
| 4 | Financial managers and directors | 30.8% | 69p |
| 5 | Metal making and treating process operatives | 30.7% | 69p |
| 6 | Functional managers and directors n.e.c. | 29.4% | 71p |
| 7 | Mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c. | 28.8% | 71p |
| 8 | Electronics engineers | 27.7% | 72p |
| 9 | Rail transport operatives | 27.7% | 72p |
| 10 | Metal machining setters and setter-operators | 26.1% | 74p |
| Occupation / job | Average median gender pay gap | Average amount women are typically paid for every pound earned by a man |
At the other end of the pay gap scale, the ten occupations / job roles with the widest median gender pay gaps in favour of women include Midwives (-54.9%); Barristers and judges (-34.2%); Veterinary nurses (-33.1%); Mechanical engineers (-26.7%); Special needs education teaching professionals (-25.5%); Building and civil engineering technicians (-22.9%); Advertising and public relations directors (-19.1%); Vehicle valeters and cleaners (-19.1%); Counsellors (-18.7%); and Childminders and related occupations (-18.3%). Health professionals n.e.c. and Hairdressers and barbers are the only jobs with no gender pay gap for 2021.
The 13 occupations / job roles with the smallest median gender pay gaps in favour of men (under 1%) include:
- Care escorts (0.1%)
- Occupational therapists (0.3%)
- Chartered surveyors (0.3%)
- Cleaners and domestics (0.3%)
- Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants (0.5%)
- Environmental health professionals (0.6%)
- Receptionists (0.6%)
- Medical radiographers (0.7%)
- Elementary administration occupations n.e.c. – including general assistant, office junior, office worker & reprographic technician (0.7%)
- Elementary security occupations n.e.c. – including bailiff, commissionaire, court usher & door supervisor (0.7%)
- Clergy (0.8%)
- Protective service associate professionals n.e.c. – including customs officer, immigration officer, operations manager (security services) & security manager (0.8%)
- Elementary cleaning occupations n.e.c. – including amenity block attendant, chimney sweep & toilet attendant (0.9%)
Occupations / job roles with the widest median gender pay gaps in favour of women in 2021
| wdt_ID | Occupation / job role | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midwives | -54.9 |
| 2 | Barristers and judges | -34.2 |
| 3 | Veterinary nurses | -33.1 |
| 4 | Mechanical engineers | -26.7 |
| 5 | Special needs education teaching professionals | -25.5 |
| 6 | Building and civil engineering technicians | -22.9 |
| 7 | Advertising and public relations directors | -19.1 |
| 8 | Vehicle valeters and cleaners | -19.1 |
| 9 | Counsellors | -18.7 |
| 10 | Childminders and related occupations | -18.3 |
| Occupation / job role | Average median gender pay gap (all employees) |
Gender pay gap for full-time employees by industry / sector
According to the Office for National Statistics, the median annual pay for full-time employees in the UK has decreased by 0.6% from £31,461 to £31,285 in 2021. For full-time employees, the UK’s average gender pay gap in favour of men is 7.9% in 2021, up from 7% in 2020.
- The highest paying industry for full-time workers in 2021 is Financial and insurance activities, with an average salary of £43,508 a year. It’s gender pay gap in favour of men is 23.6%
- Workers employed in Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply were paid an average of £43,430 a year. The gender pay gap in favour of men is 13.4%
- Third on the list is Information and communication workers, who earned £41,552, on average, in 2021. The gender pay gap in favour of men is 19%
- The lowest earners in 2021 were those working in the Accommodation and food service industry (the gender pay gap in favour of men is 1.6%). Their average salary of £20,015 was just two-thirds of the UK average
Full gender pay gap by industry / sector data:
| Average median gender pay gap (full-time employees, in %) | Median annual pay (full-time employees) | |
|---|---|---|
| Financial and insurance activities | 23.6% | £43,508 |
| Information and communication | 19% | £41,552 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 17.6% | £37,246 |
| Human health and social work activities | 17% | £28,181 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 13.4% | £43,430 |
| Education | 13% | £33,910 |
| Manufacturing | 11.7% | £31,676 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 11.5% | £26,363 |
| Other service activities | 11.3% | £27,723 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 11% | £25,548 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 9.8% | £32,069 |
| Construction | 9.6% | £34,892 |
| Real estate activities | 9.3% | £30,171 |
| Average for all full-time employees | 7.9% | £31,285 |
| Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 7% | £33,447 |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 5% | £26,244 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 4.1% | £27,068 |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 1.6% | £20,015 |
| Transportation and storage | 0.4% | £31,902 |
| Mining and quarrying | -1.3% | £37,567 |
Notes:
All data and wage gap statistics sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS):
- Gender pay gap in the UK: 2021 (provisional dataset released on 26 October 2021): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/annualsurveyofhoursandearningsashegenderpaygaptables
- Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings: 2021 provisional and 2020 revised results (released on 26 October 2021): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/industry2digitsicashetable4
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/placeofworkbylocalauthorityashetable7 - NOMIS – Occupation (SOC2010) by sex, employment status and full/part-time (online dataset: July 2020-June 2021): https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/aps210/reports/employment-by-status-and-occupation?compare=K02000001