Does the Gender Pay Gap Exist Before Graduates Enter the Workplace?

Several reasons for the gender pay gap have been suggested, including workplace discrimination and the effects of career interruptions such as motherhood.

Totaljobs’ research shows that the gender pay gap begins before graduates enter the workforce. Our candidate data demonstrates that female graduates apply for jobs whose average salary is £2,000 lower than their male peers.

We have observed that within the range of salaries that men and women apply for, men tend to aim for higher salaries at the higher end.

Apart from Languages and Music/Media, the results are statistically significant across all degree disciplines. This research raises a number of questions:

Is society doing enough to encourage female graduates to aim higher?

Why are the pay aspirations of male graduates higher than females?

What motivates female graduates when applying for jobs?

Visit the Comments & Theories page to see how industry leaders have reacted. For more information on Dr Hugh Barnes’ study, please see the Data Visualisation and Methodology pages.

A totaljobs graduate jobs study.