Women left counting the cost of city's pay gap

WOMEN in Edinburgh earn an average of £4500 less than men, new figures have revealed.

The gender gap in the city means that while men in full-time jobs can now expect an average gross income of £31,845, women employees are still lagging behind with £27,238.

Equal opportunities groups today predicted it will be at least 20 years before women are on an even footing and called for Government action.

But business leaders insisted no employers would pay a woman less for doing the same job as a man, and said the gap has more to do with the number of women in poorly-paid occupations.

The figures, compiled by the council's city development department, show full-time wages in the Capital are significantly higher than the rest of Scotland, where the average for males is £28,522, and females £22,916.

While the gender gap in Edinburgh has narrowed gradually since 2002 - when there was a £5700 difference - the rate at which the wages have neared has slowed in the last year.

Rowena Arshad, commissioner of the Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland, said while the situation has been improving since the Equal Pay Act of 1975, the gap was not closing fast enough.

"Recent figures show that it will be another 20 years until women and men working full-time receive equal pay. That is 20 years too long.

"This must be tackled as a national priority."

Graham Bell, a spokesman for the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, denied companies in Edinburgh were paying women less for doing the same job as men.

"It doesn't make economic sense or legal sense for any business to discriminate against women. They need the best people and there is a shortage of skilled workers in Edinburgh so it would be nonsense if anyone suggested they will look to discriminate in terms of sex.

"A major part of these trends is that there are a number of lower-paid occupations predominantly taken up by women, such as cleaning, catering and nursing."

The figures surprised Sarah Robertson, who moved to Scottish Life as a 17-year-old in 2000 and worked her way through a series of promotions in the St Andrew Square-based firm's marketing department.

The 23-year-old, who left the company to set up her own web design and public relations firm, Creative State, in 2005, said: "I have seen definite signs that the gap is closing. When I first joined Scottish Life it was a male-dominated office, especially in terms of management and team leaders.

"When I left, there were almost as many women as men."