Gender Pay Gaps In Warehousing Jobs, What You Need To Know

We may not like it. We may not celebrated it. We may not talk about it. We may not even want to admit it, but make no mistake, dear reader, the gender pay gap is real. Indeed, the extent of gender pay disparity is so huge that the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take over 200 years for this gap to close. While there are numerous industries in which there is a huge disparity in median pay between men and women, some of the worst offenders in the UK are the construction and finance / insurance industries. However, the world of transportation and warehousing is not immune to this fundamental imbalance.

In the industry and beyond

The transportation and warehousing industry worldwide is considered a fairly “gappy” industry with a pay disparity of 4.9%. However, it’s worth considering that many of the issues responsible for this pay gap are endemic outside of the industry as well.

One of the biggest issues is that when returning to the world of work after having children, many women find that they face a dip in their returning pay which is tantamount to a fine, with an average 7% reduction in returning salary.

Then there’s the issue of career stagnation, with fewer women reaching the upper echelons of the corporate structure from which they can enact change.

Fixing the problem

In order to fix the problem, there needs to be greater representation of women in the warehousing sector. What’s more, the barriers to career progression (especially post-maternity) need to be removed to ensure that women are afforded more opportunities for career and pay progression.