gap hr services logo white
HR Services and Employment Law specialist: For Employers
Menu
gap hr services logo white
HR Services and Employment Law specialist: For Employers
Call Us: 01491 598 600 Email Us: cw@gaphr.co.uk

  • Home
  • Services
    • Architects HR
    • Golf HR
    • Hospitality HR
  • Quizzes
    • Quiz
    • Redundancy Quiz
    • Contract Quiz
    • Disciplinary Quiz
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Redundancy
    • Disciplinaries
    • FAQs
    • Contracts
    • Settlement Agreements
  • About us
    • HR Case Studies
  • Contact us

Women are more expensive than men to employ. Or are they…?

Written by Carolyne Wahlen

women are more expensive

It’s an accepted “fact” of business life – women are more expensive to employ than men.

But is it true?

Few people like to go on the record about it – largely through fear of getting a knock on the door from politically correct vigilantes, waiting at any opportunity to strike them down for voicing their opinion.

There can be three main points that people think about when considering the cost of women vs men:

  1. “Women have more time off than men”
  2. “Maternity pay costs a fortune”
  3. “I have to find someone to replace them while they’re away”

 

Employers and employment bodies have traditionally been shy of undertaking any kind of meaningful study into the costs of women in the workplace.

 

Despite this, there appears to be a real fear that employing women can cost a business dearly.

A survey of HR professionals by Croner Consulting suggests that some four fifths of employers instinctively think twice about employing women of ‘childbearing age’ – which is basically all women nowadays, as the current UK oldest new mother is 66!

That means the assumption that women are more expensive to employ could be affecting 10.9 million women throughout the UK.

Even removing the subjective from the discussion, leaving out the whys and the wherefores, answering the simple question ‘are women more expensive
to employ than men?’ takes diplomacy to entirely new levels.

 

So how does the expense theory stand up to scrutiny? Here are some of the most common assumptions (and the truth behind them)”

“Women have more time off than men”

Perhaps a little surprisingly, they do.

According to government figures, in 2018 women lost 2.5% of their working hours to sickness or an injury, whereas the figure for men was only 1.6%.

If you assume 254 working days a year, then women would be off for 6.35 days a year, men 4.06 days.

Estimated cost if you pay sick days (based on UK median salary of £31,460): £547.32 per year for women

Estimated cost if you pay SSP only (based on UK median salary of £31,460): £41.04 per year for women (as first 3 days are unpaid;
if these are not continuous days, then you may not pay anything at all for sickness absence).

“Maternity Pay costs a fortune”

Statutory Maternity Pay is 90 per cent of average weekly pay for the first 6 weeks (£544.50 per week based on UK median salary of £31,460) and then
£151.20 per week for another 33 weeks, paid by the employer – a grand total of £8256.60 per pregnancy.

However, most businesses can claim 92 per cent of maternity pay back, and smaller businesses can claim back 103 per cent. £5896.8 * 1.03 = £6073.71
SMP

Estimated cost: £2182.89.

“I have to find someone to replace them while they’re away”

Well, not necessarily.

Most sensible business owners would try to cope by redistributing work throughout the business.

However, it’s true that the smaller you are, the more difficult this tends to be.

An agency will charge you a finder’s fee of about 15 per cent of a candidate’s salary.

Of course, you could do all the legwork yourself, but it’ll probably cost you about the same by the time you’ve added everything up.

Estimated cost £4,719.

Work that out over a 40-year career (assuming two pregnancies and 6.35 days sick every year on SSP) and that’s an extra cost of around
£15,445.

£386 per year.

Or £32 per month.

Maybe I’ve missed something out – and if I have, I’m sure you’ll let me know – but that doesn’t sound like a lot to me.

Then, once you’ve factored in the fact that the average woman gets paid 17.3% less than the average man (so £26,017 based on the median salary), and you could even be forgiven for concluding women are less expensive than men!

Filed Under: Managing Employees, Recruitment

golf hr book

Click here to download


ticks

Never worry about going to tribunal again!

BOOK NOW!

Do it, before it's too late!

carolyne wahlen

About Carolyne

Carolyne has run a successful business since 2003, is a well-respected speaker, and author of all things HR. There are many, many business owners across the country who have had their very stressful employee issues magically disappear because they’ve teamed up with Carolyne and Gap HR.

Why Gap HR?

We exist to help you stay legal, compliant and profitable, without shelling out for an in-house HR manager. Over 180 clients benefit from the experience and expertise of the Gap HR team.

 

Call us on 01491 598 600

Email me on cw@gaphr.co.uk

 

Click here to download

Ask a Question

  • If you are an employee and feel that you have been treated badly, then we strongly advise you to contact ACAS:

    Call the ACAS Helpline on 0300 123 1100 for free support and advice.

    Simply get in touch and they'll provide you with clear and confidential guidance about any kind of dispute or query that you have about relationship issues within the workplace.

    You may want to know about employment rights and rules, best practice or you may need advice about a dispute.

    Whatever it is, just give ACAS a call, their team are on hand to respond within the hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm and Saturday, 9am-1pm.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where our clients are:

View Gap clients in a full screen map

“We have been using Gap HR for several years now. Carolyne and her team are professional and efficient and we would not hesitate in recommending them for small businesses. It is a great relief to know we are supported by them for our HR advice and paperwork is kept up to date.”

Deb Green, Vermatech Pest Control

“I have been working with Carolyne and her team for 6 years now , when I first purchased 2Excel Logistics I found the HR scary as I wanted to do the right thing for my staff , with Gap HR on my side this all seemed easy and we have gone from 9 staff to 28 with no hassle what so ever , thank you to all at Gap HR”

Justin Wilkie, 2Excel Logistics

“So pleased to be working with Gap HR. They’ve straightened us out in no time. Their pricing is clear and they really know what they are talking about.”

Ashley Lewis, Wallingford Tiles and Bathrooms

“We are a growing company but do not have facilities in house yet for HR services in house. Gap HR is our go to service for all kinds of advice about HR for our business and we have found them very reliable, communicative and efficient. Would definitely recommend them”

Helen Gordon, Kitecreative

“Carolyne and team continue to provide great support to our business, with quick and accurate responses to help with our various HR needs.”

Gap HR Services Logo

“Gap HR have been at our side for a number of years now and are a great help in dealing with our HR needs”

Copyright © 2022 Name & Registered Office:

Gap HR Services Ltd.
Wallingford Road, Goring, Reading, RG8 0HN, UK
Phone: 01491 598 600

Company No. 08146299 | Contact us | Privacy & Cookies Policy | About this Website