While I have no doubt that women are unfairly paid less than men, it is important - for the sake of an informed debate - that we do not misrepresent the figures. I would suggest that your paragraph below does just that. So, if men charge 43% more than women, and women charge 57 pence, then men would surely receive 81.5 pence, not £1. And over a month, if a woman earns £2850, and men charge 43% more, then men would surely earn £4075.50, not £5000? (Or, if a man earns £5000, then a woman would earn £3496). Still not fair, but it's a significant difference.
In fact, self-employed men charge an average of 43% more than women, a situation they put down to “women undervaluing their services and charging a lower day rate.” For our industry, this means that for every £1 male writers earn, a woman may well have instead settled for 57 pence. This adds up quickly; over just one month, this could mean the difference in earning £2,850 rather than £5,000.
While I have no doubt that women are unfairly paid less than men, it is important - for the sake of an informed debate - that we do not misrepresent the figures. I would suggest that your paragraph below does just that. So, if men charge 43% more than women, and women charge 57 pence, then men would surely receive 81.5 pence, not £1. And over a month, if a woman earns £2850, and men charge 43% more, then men would surely earn £4075.50, not £5000? (Or, if a man earns £5000, then a woman would earn £3496). Still not fair, but it's a significant difference.
In fact, self-employed men charge an average of 43% more than women, a situation they put down to “women undervaluing their services and charging a lower day rate.” For our industry, this means that for every £1 male writers earn, a woman may well have instead settled for 57 pence. This adds up quickly; over just one month, this could mean the difference in earning £2,850 rather than £5,000.