Women employed full-time at Homerton Hospital are paid 20 per cent less than their male colleagues, according to new figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The average salary for women employed by Homerton Hospital Trust is £29,496, falling in £6,556 less than their male counterparts.
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Although the figures include administration roles, which are more traditionally filled by women, there remains a significant pay gap between male and female doctors and nurses.
Female doctors paid £8,000 less
The hospital employs 391 full-time doctors, made up of 201 women and 190 men. But the average female doctor receives almost £8,000 less annually than men, while the average full-time male nurse is paid over £2,000 more than female nurses.
The figures, suggesting that top positions in the Trust are unequally filled by men, were described as “shocking, but not surprising” by women’s rights campaigners the Fawcett Society.
Daisy Sands, Head of Policy and Campaigns, said: “On average for every £1 a man earns, a woman currently takes home only 82p. However in some industries the gap is far higher. In particular, analysis of the major professions reveals that women working in the health sector experience the biggest pay gap of all.”
“What gets measured gets done”
She added that hospitals and companies should monitor and publish their pay gaps as a matter of routine: “As the old adage goes, what gets measured gets done.”
Although Homerton Hospital Trust claimed the Department of Health has responsibility for setting salaries, a spokesperson from the trust argued that the inequality in salary figures was largely due to “complications”. She told the Hackney Post:
“In an organisation as large as the NHS there is a complex national pay banding system…. This is further complicated by the fact that ‘full-time staff’ are allowed to work flexible hours and/or job share.”
A spokesperson for the British Medical Association added: “Despite more women now entering the profession, they tend to be underrepresented in some areas of medicine and, across the board, are less likely to end up in the highest paid posts.
“To address this variation we need to look at the barriers to progression such as ensuring the working culture across different specialities.”
