FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Food

Women in the Restaurant Industry Are Still Being Paid Less Than Men

A recent study from UK hospitality recruitment agency The Change Group shows that while there are more women than men in wait staff positions, many earn up to 20 percent less.

Working in the restaurant industry means dealing with drunkards and brunchers. Even scientists have admitted that it's one of the most stressful occupations out there.

Now, according to a new report, if you're a women working in hospitality, you've got another grievance to add to the list: you're probably being paid less than your male counterparts.

READ MORE: Scientists Say It's More Stressful to Be a Waiter Than a Neurosurgeon

Advertisement

The findings, which were released this week by UK hospitality recruitment agency The Change Group, show that women in wait staff and managerial positions are still earning up to 20 percent less than men in the same jobs.

Go figure.

After reviewing six years of data from the Office of National Statistics and information from The Change Group's database, the results revealed that while women held seven out of ten waiter roles, men were paid £1,150 per annum more for the job. In restaurant manager roles, the pay gap closes slightly to 10 percent, but it still means women earn £3,500 less.

Jemima Olchawski, head of policy and insight at gender equality and women's rights charity Fawcett Society, told MUNCHIES that it's not surprising that the gender pay gap affects the hospitality industry.

READ MORE: Brexit Has Made It Even Worse to Be an Eastern European Waitress

She said: "This is an issue right up the income spectrum and across industries, time and again women's contributions undervalued and underpaid. Women working full time still earn on average 13.9 percent less than men, at the current rate of progress it will take over 50 years to close the gender pay gap."

With some women in the restaurant industry earning less than the average pay gap, it's an issue that could then take more than 50 years to resolve. That's a whole lot of brunches.