- Researchers surveyed more than 15,000 students about their salary expectations.
- Male students expected to be paid 15% more than women in their first job
The gender pay gap is well documented in Britain: the latest figures show that the average salary in the UK is 14.3 per cent lower for women than for men.
But a new study has shown that men not only earn higher salaries, they expect them too.
Researchers from the University of Cologne surveyed more than 15,000 students about their salary expectations after university.
Their results show that male students expect to be paid 15 percent more than female students in their first job.
“Even before entering the labor market, women expect much lower wages than men,” the researchers wrote.
The gender pay gap is well known in the UK: the latest figures show that the average salary in the UK is 14.3 per cent lower for women than men. But a new study has shown that men not only earn higher salaries, they expect them too (file image)
Over the course of their careers, men (represented by the blue dotted line) expect to receive a significantly higher salary than women (represented by the red line), the study revealed.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report published last year found that female workers typically earn 14.3 per cent less a year than men.
But until now, gender differences in expected wages before entering the labor market have been largely unexplored.
In their new study, the team set out to rectify this by surveying 15,000 students and recent graduates.
Participants were asked about their career, salary expectations, sociodemographic information, parenting expectations, and salary negotiation plans.
The results revealed that female participants expected to earn significantly less than male participants.
Male students said they expected to earn €40,582 (£34,679) on average in their first job after university.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report published last year found that female workers typically earn 14.3 per cent less a year than men.
Meanwhile, female students said they expected to earn €34,331 (£29,337) on average, 15 per cent less than men.
This means that female students would need to work on average about four hours more per week in the same occupation and industry to reach the expected starting salaries of their male peers.
Over a lifetime, this gender gap in expected salaries is even more pronounced, totaling a whopping €600,000 (£512,728).
Digging deeper into the results, the researchers found that men expect to earn an average of €49,000 (£41,872) after nine years of experience.
This is almost as high as the highest level women can expect to earn over their entire career (€51,000 (£43,581) at the age of 50).
While the reason for this is still unclear, researchers have several theories.
Writing in his study, published in Labor EconomicsThe researchers wrote: ‘Our finding that women plan to be less bold compared to their male counterparts appears to be driven by anticipation of gender discrimination as well as a preference for having children early.
“Women also fear being seen as reckless and risking a lower final salary outcome if they act boldly in salary negotiations.”
The team says the findings suggest that women should be better trained in salary negotiation.
“It could be important for women to receive training in salary negotiation to ensure they do not undervalue themselves and do not let any anticipated gender discrimination stop them from demanding more money, as our research suggests that bold negotiation does make a positive difference “. ‘ said Pia Pinger, lead author of the study.