WOMEN are still earning less than men in practically every area of industrial employment, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The one significant exception is in the manufacture of non metallic products like computers, where women's average earnings are £8.48 an hour compared with £7.25 for men. This is probably because women do more `atypical' work and earn extra through shift allowances.
However, even in this sector, men earn more per week, averaging £331 compared with £291 for women. The reason is that men work a longer week, 45.7 hours compared with 34.3 hours for women.
In some industries the pay differential between the sexes remains striking. In the foodstuffs sector, men earn an average of £8.83 an hour, or £389 per week, while women earn £5.68 an hour, or £198 per week.
Another sector recording high differentials is the manufacture of glassware and ceramics. Men earn £7.77 an hour, or £311 per week, while women earn £5.22 an hour or £189 per week.
Most men in industrial employment work well over 40 hours a week. The longest working week recorded was 50.6 hours in the brewing and malting industry. The longest working week recorded for women was 42.7 hours in the manufacture of telecommunications equipment.