Men employed in the UK are almost 1.5x more likely to receive a bonus than women, new research has found, while men's bonuses are on average 1.8x higher than women's. The men's average bonus is £4,913 (9.5% of salary), compared to £2,723 (6.0% of salary) for women.
The research by Brightmine analysed payroll data for 1,132,020 individuals employed in 999 organisations. Of the total sample, 138,411 individuals employed in 330 organisations received a bonus (12% of the total). The data encompassed entry level to chief executive jobs across the private- and public-sectors
Across annual bonuses, the data showed a £2,190 gender bonus gap – meaning men's bonuses are 1.8x higher than women's. This gap widens with age, peaking in the early 50s: at this point, men average a bonus of £8,693, while women receive £4,193 – a gap of £4,500.
At the top end, directors' bonuses average £54,014 (33.6% of salary), compared with just £535 (2.2% of salary) for routine task providers such as a cleaner or catering assistant.
In terms of job function, sales and marketing staff lead the way with bonuses worth 23.5% of salary (£17,493), while science workers received the lowest amount (£726, or 1.5% of salary).
Private-sector employees received the biggest payouts (average £6,827; 12.3% of salary) but this sector was notably more selective overall, with only 10.5% of employees receiving a bonus (compared with 39.8% of individuals in the manufacturing and production sector)
Sheila Attwood, HR insights and data lead at Brightmine, said: "While bonuses are becoming scarcer across the workforce, the real story is the gap between males and females receiving bonuses. This, alongside the news that UK gender pay gap has been underestimated for the past 20 years, serves to highlight a continuing equity issue that organisations can no longer afford to ignore. If employers are serious about inclusivity, they need to face the gap head on and interrogate their reward practices to ensure transparency, fairness and consistency."