WOMEN working for some of the UK's largest community pharmacy groups are likely to earn close to 20% less than the average male employee, according to a report from British pharmacy publisher Chemist + Druggist.
Lloydspharmacy, the second biggest pharmacy brand in Britain, revealed the average male employee earned 26% more than the mean female employee, a 2% increase on the 2017 statistics.
The group attributed the pay imbalance to the low levels of women employed in management roles within the company.
It also reported that efforts were being made to create a more even gender split within the senior ranks of Lloydpharmacy group, including educating managers "so they understand the benefits of a diverse workforce", and removing "unconscious bias by upskilling managers in the recruitment process".
Rowlands, the UK's fourth largest pharmacy group, also saw an increase in the gender pay gap.
The group reported male employees earned an average of 18% (up 1% from 2017) more than their female colleagues.
Again the company said the main reason for the disparity was that "there are now more males in higher paid positions...and a higher number of females in the lowest quartile".
Boots, the largest pharmacy group in the UK, reported its gender pay gap had narrowed marginally, with men earning on average 20% more than women in the group, down slightly from 21% in 2017.
Across Britain's eight biggest pharmacy groups, women accounted for more than 70% of the workforce in the companies that reported data relating to the gender make-up of their employees.
The gender pay gap was 16% at Cohens, and 22% at Superdrug, which said it holds "regular events" to help its female staff members develop their careers.
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