It’s a well-known fact that women were kept out of the professional workforce for centuries, for various reasons. Luckily, monstrous misconceptions about a woman’s working potential are slowly but surely going into oblivion since female employees have been proving their skillfulness and expertise in numerous areas, including public relations, health services, business management, and international law.
Whether you’re only deciding on your future career path or are willing to switch jobs, this article will help you figure out what occupations are truly prospective and lucrative for women in the UK nowadays.
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When talking about high-paying careers for women in the UK, gender pay gap statistics immediately gather like dark clouds over our heads. The phenomenon is rooted in the distant past but, unfortunately, women have to still deal with it in the 21st century. Here we have a closer look at the situation with the gender pay differentials in the UK nowadays and reveal what factors still contribute to its existence.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the gender wage gap among full-time UK employees stands at 7.7%, and at 14.3% among all employees in 2023. These numbers are below the levels seen in 2019 (9.0% and 17.4% respectively), however, they are still far from ideal.
You may be wondering why the indexes of full-time UK employees and all UK employees are so different. The answer is trivial: there are more women in part-time jobs, and their hourly median pay is lower. As for full-time positions, 86% of them are filled by men, whereas only 61% by women. Since the hourly median pay for men is higher, the generation pay gap index is lower. The good news here is that we’ve been experiencing a downward trend in the median pay gap in different occupation groups since last year, and if it goes on like this, we may be witnessing significant improvements in the near future.
There are two interesting facts to reflect upon:
The second point is especially noteworthy. According to the analysis by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), women are still underrepresented in management roles (41% across the UK in March 2022) as well as senior business leading positions (38% across the UK). And it’s exactly at the age of 40 when employees typically get a chance to take the roles of such levels and, as a result, a salary increase (the average pay is nearly 20% higher for occupations such as managers, directors, or senior officials).
Now let’s put the puzzle pieces together: women still face barriers in their career progression, and this fact prevents them from having higher pay. Many of them have no choice but to remain (more precisely – get stuck) in lower-paid sectors or roles despite their years of experience and level of expertise. This is what leads to 10.3% of the gender pay gap for those aged 40 and older.
If to talk about younger female employees, the most common factors that contribute to the gender pay gap include:
Reducing gender pay gaps as well as gender gaps in labour market participation can have a truly favourable effect on both society and a country. The UK Government recognises it and is actively working on improving the situation. Among the numerous steps included in the action plan, there are:
Even though many women still get lower salaries compared with their male counterparts, there is some progress to mention. In some industries, women do have access to the average salary that could be considered as financial success. Here we unpack some of the lucrative occupations for women in the UK with a description of the core responsibilities and entry requirements.
For career-minded women who are passionate about the skies, there is an option to become an Air Traffic Controller. In spring 2023, NATS, the UK’s leading air traffic controller provider reopened trainee programmes encouraging female candidates to apply. Helen Fuge, their Head of Talent and HR Services, said that women controllers make up only around 30% of the total and they are determined to change that.
Pay scale structure: Approximately 65% of salaries fall within the range of £45,800 to £66,400. 10% fall within the range of £66,400 to £75,800. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding £75,800 a year.
Responsibilities (tasks may vary depending on the specialisation):
Eligibility:
How to become an Air Traffic Controller: Taking into account the role Air Traffic Controllers play, no wonder it takes so much time and effort to get fully professionally prepared for work. An individual has to complete the college-based training which takes 12-18 months and then the operational training to get the Student Air Traffic Control licence. After that, they are sent to an operational unit to get hands-on training until they validate and are issued their full Air Traffic Controller license.
One of the most challenging occupations for a woman to enter and compete with a man is Management and Leadership. The most modern and progressive businesses do recognise the value of diversity. McKinsey and Company have found out that companies with more than 30 percent women in executive roles were more likely to outperform companies where this percentage was lower or there were no female leaders at all. Sounds good, right?
As for 2023, women occupy 31% of leadership roles and 32% of middle management roles in the UK. The pay gap there stands at 23-30%. Anyway, we’re on the way to a bright future free from gender bias and discrimination. So let’s have a look at what Management and Leadership offer women in the UK today.
Pay scale structure: The analysis conducted by SalaryExplorer revealed that about 65% of salaries in Executive and Management range from £43,500 to £72,500. Approximately 20% of employees have salaries below £43,500, and 10% earn from £72,500 to £85,700. A gross salary of £85,700 or higher is available for 5% of specialists.
Variety of roles: If we take CEO roles, the salary ranges from £24,250 up to £104,000, with an average of £58,264 per year. There are also other upper management options to choose from:
If to research Leadership roles by industry, the best-paid jobs can be found in Finance (£82,796), Media (£61,191), Healthcare (£59,466), Recruitment (£67,884), Support Services (£63,144), and others. Human Resources managers normally make about £44,000, but those who can make it to a Chief HR Officer or similar role may earn from £79,000 to £100,000 and even more a year.
What influences the salary: It’s the qualifications with which you enter the market and the years of your hands-on experience in the industry. Those with from two to five years earn on average 32% more than juniors across all industries. Five years of experience may well give you a boost of 36% to your annual salary. Demonstrating your problem-solving, empathy, flexibility, decision-making, and negotiation skills in action can enhance your chances of landing a leadership role.
Holders of a Bachelor’s Degree earn 24% more than those who have a certificate or diploma. Employees with a Master’s Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% higher than those with a Bachelor’s Degree. Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master’s Degree holders on average while having the same responsibilities and tasks.
Women working in Tech don’t cause that jaw-dropping effect anymore: they have proved that can do this job at the same as men. Furthermore, not all job openings in IT are connected with coding, there is a huge array of other creative and high-paying jobs like marketing managers or designers. So what exactly can women expect salary-wise in IT nowadays?
Depending on the area and your qualifications, salary indexes will vary. A Database Administrator’s average base salary stands at £46,429, a Data Scientist on average earns £50,534, and a Software Architect – over £70,000 per year.
We’d like to draw your attention to one of the fastest-growing IT sectors – Cybersecurity. The average salary of a Cybersecurity Specialist in the UK stands at about £50,000 per year. Even though female employees currently make up only 20% of the industry, there are numerous success stories.
Entry requirements: There is a plethora of education options to enter the Cybersecurity industry:
The variety of roles: Another good thing about Cybersecurity is a wide range of specialisms to choose from, specifically 16, including Cyber Security Audit and Assurance, Security Testing, Cyber Security Management, Secure System Architecture and Design, and others.
Salary prospects: For instance, a junior-middle Cyber Security Analyst earns between £25,000 and £35,000; senior-level specialists can expect to earn from around £35,000 to over £60,000; for leadership or managerial roles salaries reach £70,000 and more.
Last but not least is the Healthcare industry. One of the main factors that makes this industry worth your attention is that it is extremely female-friendly. According to the NHS workforce report:
Salary prospects: We’d like to focus on GP here. Besides the fact that women dominate in this specialisation, it’s also a high-paying job. For instance, a General Practitioner typically ranges between£68,975 to £104,085 a year, and it’s not the ceiling. Many GPs run their own practices either alone or in partnership with other GPs and make additional income.
Entry requirements:
How to become a GP: After medical school, one has to participate in a two-year foundation programme (which implies working in six placements in different settings), and then, take a three-year specialty training to become a GP. Both programmes are paid.
