In last year’s B2B Marketing Salary Survey we speculated whether the introduction of mandatory pay gap reporting for companies of more than 250 employees would begin to impact the size of the large gender pay gap that exists within the industry.
However, the results from this year’s research show it’s got worse. The gap in the average between the two genders is now £21,858, compared with the £14,000 difference seen in the past two years.
Notwithstanding the fact that more female marketers complete the survey (the split is around two-thirds women to one-third men) – which pushes the average down due to a higher proportion of mid-level positions – the problem has now moved from unacceptably stable to unacceptably critical.
Female marketers think it’s unacceptable too. The proportion of those who’d be very likely to leave their position if it was revealed their company’s gender pay gap was wider than the national average has risen from 13% last year to almost a quarter in the latest survey. The change is probably an indication of rising awareness of the issue, and the unhappiness with the status quo. This dissatisfaction will continue to increase if it doesn’t get any better.
How can the gender pay gap in B2B Marketing be addressed?
As it’s an industry-wide issue, it’s not a problem that organisations can solve alone. But there are steps individuals and businesses can take that could help.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant, even if that spotlight proves to be uncomfortable for organisations. Even if you have fewer than 250 employees, consider collecting and publishing data on your own pay gap.
You may not know there is a problem without the data. If you work for one of these companies – man or woman – don’t be afraid to press for this information to start the conversation.
Marketers should also be aware of the negative repercussions this could have on brand sentiment. While HR will be responsible for addressing the data, leaving it in their hands could leave you exposed to unfavourable headlines and employee dissatisfaction.
Another potential solution would be for organisations to increase the efforts they make to encourage women to progress to senior positions, therefore reducing the pay gap.
Just two of the options – flexible/part-time working and representation of women in senior positions – are offered by more than half of organisations. Mentoring and shared parental leave are offered by less than a third of businesses. Offering a greater proportion of these should not only grant more opportunity for women to progress within the organisation but also help redress this outstanding unfairness.
