EXCLUSIVE: Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson says salary blindness can mean unequal salary
Evidence shows that women are much less likely to receive fair pay if they walk into those negotiations ‘salary blind’.(Image: Getty Images)
It’s all too common. You’re scrolling a jobs page – no salary, skip; no salary, skip; no salary, skip.
Or worse still, applying, attending several interviews, and still left wondering: is this even going to pay the bills?
Frustrating barely scratches the surface. So we’re going to make a change: employers will need to say what they pay and include clear salary information on job adverts.
Whether it’s a young person looking for their first job, or a mum going back to work, every applicant will have a clear starting point.
It’s a small step, but if we can remove a barrier to work for people, we will. For women, in particular, this is about much more than wasted time.
It’s about making a straightforward change that could give them a chance of securing the pay they deserve.
Good governments listen to the evidence. The evidence shows that women are much less likely to receive fair pay if they walk into those negotiations ‘salary blind’.
Employers know how much they can offer. Yet applicants are often expected to name their expectations first. This creates an uneven playing field, and women feel the brunt of it.
The evidence shows that women are less likely than men to negotiate pay and more likely to face backlash when doing so, cliches around being “too demanding” putting their chances of getting the job at risk.
The result: women are given a lowball offer, held back by lower starting pay that drags down their earnings for the rest of their careers. Unequal pay takes root, helping the gender pay gap to stubbornly persist.
Everyone should be able to see what an employer is offering, assess whether they are suitable for the role, and negotiate on a level playing field.
So whether you’re a single mum trying to work out if you can support your family or a young person just trying to work out how to pay your bills, you need to know early on if the job is right for you.
Including salaries on job ads isn’t going to solve every barrier that women face in the workplace, but it’s a start.
And it’s another practical step from a government determined to give everyone that little bit more breathing space.
