Women who ask for pay rise less successful than men, UK poll reveals

theguardian.com:

One in five women who ask for a pay rise are successful in receiving one compared with just under a third of men, polling has found.

A YouGov survey of more than 16,000 adults found that of the 40% of people who asked for a pay rise, just over a quarter were successful.

But disparities are revealed when breaking down the data along gender lines. Forty-three per cent of men asked for a pay rise, compared with a third (33%) of women. Furthermore, 31% of men were successful, while just over a fifth (21%) of women received a salary increase.

The research found the chasm exists most prominently for those in their 30s and older.

For 18- to 29-year-olds in work, 18% of men and 16% of women have asked for a pay rise and received at least one. However, for adults in their 30s, just under a third (31%) of men who asked for a pay rise were successful, compared with 19% of women.

These disparities further existed along class lines, with the analysis finding that adults in more middle-class occupations are more likely to have asked for a pay rise and been successful than their counterparts in more working-class occupations.

The YouGov analysis comes after gender pay gap reporting was made mandatory by the government in 2017 for all companies with more than 250 employees.

In December, Guardian analysis showed that the gender pay gap reported to the government by the UK’s largest firms is widening, with women being paid a median hourly rate of 10.2% less than their male colleagues.

Jemima Olchawski, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said the UK haf a “pernicious gender pay gap that needs to be tackled”.

She continued: “Detailed academic research disputes the idea that women are less likely to ask for a pay rise and instead finds that