Global gender pay gap survey reveals £12,600 PR salary divide

International networking group Global Women in PR (GWPR) has launched a survey that shows a £12,600 pay gap between the salaries of men and women.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of GWPR, the data collected from 12 countries revealed an average global PR salary of £57,200, but there is a £12,600 difference between the average salary earned by men and women. Men earn an average of 19% more at £67,600 compared to women at £55,000.

The survey reports that salaries are more likely to be similar at junior level in PR and gaps are more likely to show as seniority increases.

For example, a male in-house board PR director earns an average salary of £110,000, compared to their female counterparts who earn an average of £97,000 – a £13,000 pay gap.

More than a third of men (36%) working in PR agencies are at board director level, compared to 16% of women. And when considering asking for a promotion or pay rise, 21% of men said they were very confident in doing so, while women remained at 10%.

The results also show that there is still a lack of opportunity to work from home. Out of 647 respondents, 70% were not allowed to work from home on a weekly basis, with 15% never allowed to do this. The average working week for a PR is 45 hours and an encouraging two-thirds of those surveyed believe they have a good work-life balance.

Angela Oakes and Susan Hardwick, GWPR co-founders, said: “The findings revealed a much higher pay gap than perhaps anticipated and considering the world in which we now operate, with 24 hour access to technology, it is hard to see why there cannot be more flexibility in the workplace.

“Current working practices have not led to any significant changes in the gender pay gap over the past decade and Deloitte’s report revealed last week that if things continue on the current path ‘Women will not be earning the same as men until 2069!’ We don’t think we can wait that long … we need to act now to make the necessary changes.”

• The results were revealed yesterday at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation’s Global Summit (29 September).
• The survey was conducted by OnePoll,  from July-September 2016, and included 647 respondents.
• The infographic was created by GWPR and OnePoll.
• Check out how PR agency Golin aims to tackle the gender pay gap by getting mothers back to work.