Men Get Bigger Bonuses As Gender Pay Gap Widens

Average bonuses for male managers were twice as much as those of their female counterparts last year, according to new research.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) said the gender pay gap was widening as a result of bonuses.

Last year male managers received average bonuses of £6,442, compared to £3,029 for females.

The CMI said that was on top of basic salaries almost 25% higher for men.

The study of 43,000 managers showed the difference in bonuses would equate to over £141,000 more for males, than females doing the same job over the course of a working lifetime.

According to the report, the pay gap is particularly large at senior levels, with female directors paid an average bonus of £36,270, compared to £63,700 for males.

Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI, said: "Despite genuine efforts to get more women on to boards, it's disappointing to find that not only has progress stalled, but women are also losing ground at senior levels.

"Women are the majority of the workforce at entry level but still lose out on top positions and top pay. The time has come to tackle this situation more systemically.

"If organisations don't tap in to and develop their female talent right through to the highest levels, they will miss out on growth, employee engagement, and more ethical management cultures. And that's not good for business."

Mark Crail of salary specialists XpertHR, which helped with the research, added: "There is no good reason for men to still be earning more in bonuses than women when they are in very similar jobs.

"But it's often the case that men and women have different career paths, with 'male' roles more likely to attract bonuses.

He added: "While women are generally getting lower bonuses than men, especially at senior levels, they may be entering occupations where there is less of a culture of bonus payments.

"The question for employers is why that's the case."

Minister for Women and Equalities Maria Miller said, "These figures are yet another damaging example highlighting that, in the world of work, women still lose out to their male counterparts and that the playing field is far from equal."

It comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics show that £36.9bn was paid out in bonuses in 2012/13.

That is up 1% on the previous year and equates to an average of around £1,400 per employee.