Gender pay gap is narrowing
Updated on 12 November 2009
The gender pay gap has fallen by 1% to 16.4% over the past year, official figures have shown.
The improvement followed an increase of 4% in the average hourly pay of full-time women workers to £13.43, compared with a 2.8% rise in men's pay to £16.07.
The gender pay difference for part-time workers narrowed by 2% to 13.2%, according to the data from the Office for National Statistics.
Average pay for full-time workers increased by 2% to £489 a week, although the figure was higher for men (£531) than for women (£426).
The figure for annual pay increased by 2.6% to £25,800.
Men's average weekly earnings increased by 1.8% in the year to April, compared with growth of 3.4% for women.
Average weekly earnings for part-time workers increased by 4% to £153, with women earning £156 compared with £144 for men.
One in 10 full-time workers earned less than £6.90 an hour while a similar number were paid more than £25.88 an hour, the figures showed.
Pay in the public sector increased by 3% to an average of £539 a week, while the comparable figure in private firms was £465, up by 1%.
Earnings for 40 to 49-year-olds were highest at an average of £551 a week, compared with £277 for 18 to 21-year-olds.
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