Women in the UK are applying for jobs with significantly lower salaries than men, with new behavioural data suggesting the gap begins before applications are even submitted.
An analysis by job search platform JobLeads found that women set salary expectations below those of men and are more likely to pursue lower-paid roles, contributing to pay disparities before hiring decisions are made.
The data also indicates that while women browse roles at similar rates to men, they are less likely to complete applications, reducing their chances of securing higher-paid positions.
Salary expectations and job choices driving early gap
Women’s upper salary expectations were found to be 12 percent lower than men’s before a single application was submitted, with averages of £103,531 compared with £118,016.
The pattern continues in application behaviour. Women applied to roles with a median salary of £60,900, compared with £69,900 for men, a difference of around £9,000.
The gap is also evident in application follow-through. Around 65 percent of women who clicked on a job went on to apply, compared with 72 percent of men, a difference that reduces women’s negotiating position and potential offer volume.
Role selection and working patterns influence earnings
Differences in the types of roles pursued also appear to affect earnings outcomes.
Women were more likely to apply for roles requiring a higher proportion of soft skills, which tend to attract lower salaries. On average, these roles paid £7,500 less at the median level across industries.
Working patterns also played a part. Around 36 percent of women searched for part-time roles, compared with 23 percent of men, with part-time positions typically offering lower salary ceilings.
Even where working arrangements were similar, differences remained. Men earned £9,823 more in hybrid roles and £10,793 more in remote roles, despite comparable levels of participation in these working models.
Industry differences show mixed picture
Pay disparities varied across sectors, with some industries showing wider gaps than others.
Finance recorded one of the largest differences, with women applying to roles paying around 8 percent less than those pursued by men.
In contrast, engineering stood out as the only major sector where women applied to higher-paying roles than men. Women applying in this field targeted roles with a median salary £1,800 higher than their male counterparts.
Other sectors, including human resources, legal and bio and pharmaceutical roles, were heavily female-dominated but still showed pay gaps below parity.
The analysis also suggested that differences in skills profiles contributed to outcomes. Women were slightly more likely to apply for roles with a higher proportion of soft skills, while men were more represented in roles requiring technical skills, which tended to command higher salaries.
The research was based on behavioural data from 61,111 UK users of the JobLeads platform during the fourth quarter of 2025, tracking salary expectations, job searches and application patterns.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. He is a prolific author and contributor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional, with over 127 published posts covering HR, employee engagement, and workplace wellbeing topics. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers, and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
