Pay

The pay gap between men and women in many countries is about lifestyle choice

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Or so says an influential study

It argued that the difference in salaries between male and female workers came down to 'individual lifestyle preferences'.

The choice of millions of mothers to put children before careers was the chief reason given for the disparity between men and women that emerged after thirty

Before thirty years old the difference in salary was generally just 1 per cent in men's favour.

The report arrives as the issue comes under growing scrutiny.

Politicians and equality campaigners say it is a major scandal, depriving women of earnings that are rightfully theirs.

The difference is usually measured by average hourly earnings, which show men are paid 17.2 per cent more than women.

Professor John Shackleton, of the University of East London, said that in reality the pay gap hardly existed for workers under 30.

He said men work longer hours in more dangerous jobs and face a greater risk of being sacked

While women who take career breaks outnumber their male equivalents by more than five to one.

In a paper for the Institute of Economic Affairs, he pointed out that single, widowed or divorced women earn more than their male counterparts, but the pay gap between men and women in families with three children was 19 per cent.

He also argued that female graduates tend to choose subjects such as psychology or education, which lead to lower-earning careers, while few opt for maths or engineering, which are more
likely to result in lucrative jobs.

The widespread belief that the gender pay gap is a reflection of deep-rooted discrimination by employers is ill-informed and an unhelpful contribution to the debate,' he said.

The gap is falling but is also a reflection of individuals' lifestyle preferences

Government cannot regulate these away, and should not try to.'

Professor Shackleton also dismissed fears over low pay for part-time women workers.

Most were in low-paid jobs, he said, a factor which accounted for most of the gap.

Large numbers of women prefer part-time work because of family responsibilities and so choose to accept lower wages, he added.

The report also said that men who have wives and children earn more than single men - yet no one is worried about that pay gap.

The report criticised efforts to narrow the difference through quotas for high-paid women or attempts to attract mothers into work through family-friendly legislation.

Professor Shackleton said such policies were intrusive, unnecessary and hugely overambitious, and that the state should not try to influence the choices of millions of people.

We should make far less of a song and dance about the gender pay gap,' he added.

Last night the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for women's equality, insisted that discrimination was a key cause of lower pay.

Spokesman Jessica Woodroffe said: 'There is a 17 per cent pay gap between men and women.

The causes are discrimination, women's unequal caring responsibilities and the way the work women do tends to be undervalued.

The first step is for companies to carry out audits to ensure men and women performing work of similar skill levels should be paid the same.

That is not too much to ask

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The Times

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Indeed