WOMEN managers earn more than their male counterparts and are striding towards representative parity with men, according to a new report.
More than a quarter of department heads are women, compared with less than a fifth in 2000, the annual National Management Salary Survey found. Women managers command average pay rises of 5 per cent, compared with 4.7 per cent for men, and earn an average of £51,854, compared with £50,459.
The joint report, published by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics, a specialist salary survey company, is based on a survey of nearly 22,000 employees in 354 companies, ranging from blue chip firms such as HBOS to owner-managed businesses.
The survey found that one in seven directors is a woman, compared with one in ten in 2000. Women constitute 31.1 per cent of the management population, against 22 per cent in 2000 and less than 2 per cent in 1974, when the survey was first taken.
Christine Hayhurst, director of professional affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, said the results were encouraging for women. But, she added, they highlighted the absence of women directors at the top of FTSE 100 companies. Dame Marjorie Scardino at Pearson is the sole FTSE 100 woman chief executive.
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Ms Hayhurst said: “There is a still a long way to go if women are to achieve true parity in the workplace ... While there is a significant change in the number of women holding senior leadership positions, they are a minority.”
Petra Cook, the institute’s head of policy, said parity had moved closer for women. She added: “Companies are looking to nurture talent coming through and difficulties with attracting and retaining good staff is driving up salaries.”
The survey found that the proportion of resignations from management positions by women has dropped from 6.4 per cent to 5.3 per cent in the past 12 months. Resignations by men increased from 3.3 per cent to 4.2 per cent over the same period.