Research conducted by one of the UK’s largest accountants has revealed an astonishing gender pay gap with men in finance earning up to 21% more than women in the same roles.

Hemel Hempstead-based SJD has analysed salaries of both men and women in the sector revealing some astounding figures.

According to the findings, women with job titles such as finance officer, credit controller or finance analyst earned almost a quarter less than men with the same occupation.

Derek Kelly, CEO of Optionis, which owns SJD Accountancy, said: “The gender pay gap has been a topic of increasing conversation, putting the difference in salary into real terms has been shocking.

“This information now highlights the genuine impact that this can have not only on employees but their families and long-term prospects.”

>See also: Insurance gender pay gap published by CII

The gender pay gap has been an increasingly important and developing conversation for a number of years within the media and government.

Increasing pressure has been put on businesses to disclose their gender pay gaps and redress the balance to aim for more equal pay.

The survey by SJD Accountancy saw more than a 1,000 contractors questioned, and data gathered on their salaries to create a better picture of which sectors are closing the gap and which are still struggling to find parity.

SJD has launched an interactive tool enabling individuals to find out more about their industry and the gender pay gaps. Visit www.sjdaccountancy.com/gender-pay-gap-tool for more information.

Derek Kelly added: “The tool helps to give workers, whether in permanent or temporary roles, more of an insight into the pay gap within their industry. This improves understanding of the pay issues within certain sectors.”