Connect with us

The gender pay gap among freelancers and the self-employed is now virtually non-existent

Business

The gender pay gap among freelancers and the self-employed is now virtually non-existent

New data compiled by an online services marketplace has found that the gender pay gap is now at its lowest level ever for freelance workers and the self-employed. Women who work in sectors such as teaching, photography and urgent repairs (plumbers and electricians) now earn the same rate as their male counterparts.

The research, conducted by Bidvine.com used internal data over the last 12 months to compare men and women’s rates for services on the website. This data showed that there was little evidence of a gender pay gap in the top five job sectors on the website, with women earning more than men is some circumstances.

Bidvine.com is an online local services marketplace where users can post jobs, asking local service professionals to quote for the work. Services available on the site range from tutoring tasks to wedding catering and even fitness services such as personal trainers and nutritionists.

Here is the data from the study:

  1. Personal training – M: £36 / F: £33 per hour
  2. Wedding photography – M: £650 / F: £680 per wedding
  3. Handy person – M: £20 / F: £17 per hour
  4. Domestic cleaning – M: £11 / F: £12 per hour
  5. Plumbing – M: £73 / F: £70 per hour
  6. Music lessons – M: £28 / F: £28 per hour
  7. Gardening – M: £21 / F: £19 per hour
  8. Language lessons – M: £25 / F: £28 per hour
  9. Electrician – M: £70 / F: £68 per hour
  10. Singing lessons – M: £30 / F: £35 per hour

Although the data looks promising for freelance workers and the self-employed, 2017 figures from the ONS still have the average gender pay gap at 14.1% (across all sectors and age groups), a figure that has stayed the same since 2014.

A spokesperson from Bidvine.com talked about the data saying,

“It’s great to see that, at least among the skilled professionals on our site, the gender pay gap is virtually extinct. The explosion of freelance and self-employed workers has seen a shift in how people value the work they do, and what their customers see as value for money for a job well-done.

“Of course, more could always be done, but it’s encouraging to see that when people have autonomy over their pricing, men and women both value their time and skills at the same financial level and customers don’t appear to take gender into consideration when finding the right person for their job.

“We’re looking forward to the next 12 months, and hopefully a significant change to the ONS figures this time next year.”

I am the founder of Startup Today. I am the main writer and have put in many hours of work into creating this blog. If you want to find out more about me then lets get in contact.

More in Business

Popular

Twitter

Featured

To Top
Read previous post:
Creating the perfect working environment for your small business

Having a small business can be incredibly gratifying. Handling a workforce and having total control over your day-to-day activities allows...

Close