Aberdeen University has a gender pay gap of nearly £10,000

Aberdeen University has the 19th biggest gender pay gap in the UK, according to a new report.

The University and College Union’s report, released in advance of International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8 March, names Aberdeen as the worst uni in Scotland for gender pay inequality.

The new report lists the 30 higher education establishments which have the largest gender pay gaps for academic staff and professors and produces an overall ranking by combining these scores.

Aberdeen is listed to have the 16th highest gender pay gap for academic staff members in the UK. Female academic staff are said to make an average of £43,823, while male academic staff are said to make £53,737.

This shows a difference of £9,914 between the male and female salary, and means that females are only receiving 81.6 per cent of what male members of staff are, for doing the same job.

In terms of professors, the report states that Aberdeen has the 8th highest pay gap in the UK.The average female professor makes £75,213, while the average male professor makes £83,626.

This shows a difference of £8,413 and means that female professors are only making 89.9% of the salary male professors are receiving.

Combining the 16th place ranking for academic staff with the 8th place ranking for professors, Aberdeen scores 19th place overall in the UK.

The report says: “Our colleges and universities promote equality as a core value, yet scratch beneath the surface and you find a sector bedevilled by shameful levels of inequality.

The University and College Union claim: “While the gender pay gap in higher education has fluctuated over the years, looking at the rate of progress over the last 10 years, it will take until 2050 to close the gender pay gap.”

In a time where feminism and equality as a whole is being discussed on such a large scale, it is worrying that our university has ranked so poorly.