Women ‘coping better in recession’

Female workers in the UK are weathering the storm of the recession more effectively than their male counterparts, new research has revealed.

According to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), labour turnover for women currently stands at a five-year low of 4.3 per cent, in contrast with 4.8 per cent among men.

It is believed this trend has arisen from the increasingly likelihood that women will accept a job transfer in favour of redundancy.

Over the last year, twice as many female employees in junior positions have switched departments than men, some one in 12 women.

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However, it was also revealed that women still take home average of £11,000 less a year than their male counterparts.

Commenting on the findings, Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI, said: “Employers may be mistaking equal pay rises for equal pay and whilst any increase in take-home pay will be welcomed in a recession, it appears that the glass ceiling remains in place and has been reinforced with concrete.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is calling on HR managers to come forward with any advice on how they have tackled discrimination concerning gender pay gaps in the workplace.