LONDON – The gender pay gap at rapidly growing UK ultra fast fashion business, Missguided, is 46.3 per cent, while women make up a staggering 98 per cent of lower paid jobs at the business. Missguided is one of tens of thousands of UK businesses which have now reported their gender pay gap figures in line with new government regulations.
Other apparel retailers to report include New Look, where the gender pay gap is 20.9 per cent and women make up 90 per cent of lower paid jobs, ASOS (40.9 per cent pay gap, women make up 77 per cent of lower paid jobs) and Mothercare (21 per cent pay gap, women make up 91 per cent of lower paid jobs). In all of these case, the gender pay gap is significantly above the average for all businesses reporting, where the average gap is 9.7 per cent.
The lowest pay gap among apparel retailers can be found at Debenhams where women are paid 0.3 per cent less than their male counterparts, although they still make up 77 per cent of lower paid jobs.
At House of Fraser, women are paid 1 per cent less than men, while at Arcadia – which owns Top shop and Top Man – the gap grows to 8 per cent.
Meanwhile, Marks&Spencer has a 3.3 per cent pay gap, while Next has a 1.7 per cent gap.
Boohoo was one of more than than 1,500 companies which failed to report their gender pay gap figures before this week’s deadline. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission reports that 1,557 firms missed the deadline and it will now contact each one to remind them of their legal duties.
When they do report, the findings are bound to come under extra scrutiny as there will be a suspicion in some cases non-disclosing businesses feel they have something to hide.
The equalities watchdog will investigate firms that fail to comply and potentially may take legal action against them, with penalties including an unlimited fine.
All companies, charities and public sector bodies with more than 250 employees were required to submit their gender pay figures.
