The gender pay gap is well recognised across the world, and in the UK recent data has shown that it is improving, albeit slowly. However, a new study has revealed that, in the tech industry, women could actually be perpetuating this salary gap by expecting less than their male counterparts for the same roles.
The study, by Haystack, a tech careers marketplace, looked at the minimum expected salary of 1010 of their current users in tech. It revealed that women in tech expect an average minimum salary of £34,148 per year, compared to the men, who expect £40,809- revealing a difference of more than £6k!
The issue with this is that if women are valuing their worth lower than men, there will be a continued gender pay gap.
Scotland has the biggest expected salary gender gap of nearly £20k between males and females in Tech
According to the data, female professionals in the technology industry based in Scotland are willing to accept an average minimum salary that is £18,714 less than males.
The same issue is true for the South West, with a £14k difference, and the East Midlands, with a £11.9k difference in the genders’ expected salaries.
Conversely, women in the West Midlands actually expect MORE than men for the same roles, with their minimum expected salary being £37.2k, £462 more than the males!
| Rank | Region | Female | Male | Difference |
| 1 | Scotland | £22,000 | £40,714 | £18,714 |
| 2 | South West England | £25,556 | £39,933 | £14,377 |
| 3 | East Midlands | £25,250 | £37,217 | £11,967 |
| 4 | London | £38,154 | £47,039 | £8,885 |
| 5 | North West England | £30,154 | £38,366 | £8,212 |
| 6 | Yorkshire and the Humber | £33,200 | £41,400 | £8,200 |
| 7 | Wales | £32,800 | £37,455 | £4,655 |
| 8 | East of England | £36,800 | £40,316 | £3,516 |
| 9 | South East England | £41,444 | £44,848 | £3,404 |
| 10 | Northern Ireland | £27,250 | £28,667 | £1,417 |
| 11 | North East England | £34,947 | £35,200 | £253 |
| 12 | West Midlands | £37,200 | £36,738 | -£462 |
To put this in perspective, it is estimated that the cost of living for a single person in London on average is £2,841 a month. For the men in tech expecting £47,039 minimum (£2,970.72- after tax and NI) this is just doable with £129 spare- if there are no student loans to consider.
Women in the same region expect £38,154 minimum salary, giving them just £2,467.24 after tax and NI, meaning that single women cannot afford to live alone in London, but men could.
Could the issue stem from a digital skills gap among the genders?
When analysing the roles that pay the most in tech and what skills they require, Haystack identified the ten most lucrative tech skills to have in a stack.
When the user’s skills were analysed, it was discovered that more men than women had the most lucrative skills listed in their experience.
| Rank | Tech skills | Average salary for job with skill | % males with skill | % females with skill | Difference |
| 1 | Docker | £58,000 | 12.33% | 4.70% | 7.63% |
| 2 | GIT | £54,600 | 20.70% | 17.45% | 3.25% |
| 3 | Java | £53,770 | 13.14% | 8.72% | 4.41% |
| 4 | AWS | £52,296 | 15.23% | 6.04% | 9.19% |
| 5 | C sharp | £49,770 | 13.95% | 8.05% | 5.90% |
| 6 | Python | £49,260 | 28.95% | 22.82% | 6.13% |
| 7 | React | £48,700 | 17.21% | 17.45% | -0.24% |
| 8 | JavaScript | £48,040 | 35.58% | 38.26% | -2.67% |
| 9 | SQL | £46,500 | 19.42% | 14.09% | 5.32% |
| 10 | CSS-3 | £43,970 | 25.70% | 20.13% | 5.56% |
Mike Davies, COO and co-founder at Haystack, said: “Studies have shown that women are more likely to accept job offers faster than men, meaning they are less likely to negotiate on the offered salary. And with many job adverts not disclosing the offered salary as anything other than “competitive”, as long as what is on offer matches their minimum, women are more likely to take a role without question.
“This is what perpetuates the gender pay gap. If women go into an interview with a lower expected salary and have been found to accept roles faster than their male counterparts, they will always be accepting less money than men going for the same job. Whereas men, with a higher minimum expected salary and more likely to negotiate, will walk away with a higher salary.
“Tech organisations need to start thinking about how they can put their best foot forward and not shy away from publishing salaries. We’ve found that this not only increases the overall application rate but also means that more women are happy to step up and value themselves accordingly, rather than relying on misaligned information.”
Wanda Rich has been the Editor-in-Chief of Global Banking & Finance Review since 2011, playing a pivotal role in shaping the publication’s content and direction. Under her leadership, the magazine has expanded its global reach and established itself as a trusted source of information and analysis across various financial sectors. She is known for conducting exclusive interviews with industry leaders and oversees the Global Banking & Finance Awards, which recognize innovation and leadership in finance. In addition to Global Banking & Finance Review, Wanda also serves as editor for numerous other platforms, including Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune.