Gender inequality 'starts early as girls believe they will earn less'

Gender inequality starts at an early age, with girls expecting to earn less than boys when they start work, a new study has shown.

Research among over 3,000 teenagers found that girls believed they would earn £7,000 a year less than boys in their future careers.

The report, by qualifications group City & Guilds, also revealed there was little understanding of how to secure a dream job.%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-pay%

Teenagers had a low awareness of the range of jobs they could chose, while two thirds were planning to go to university.

Kirstie Donnelly, managing director of City & Guilds said: "Today's findings highlight a concerning mismatch between the aspirations of young people and the reality of the jobs market they will be entering.

"While university is a great path for many people, it's not the only one.

"It's time we told our young people the truth about the best way to get into work and broadened their horizons so they understand the full range of jobs available.

"Employers need much more involvement in schools and colleges and young people need more opportunities to interact with employers to inform and inspire them about a far greater range of jobs.

"They also need to be given access to impartial careers advice informed by the local labour market so they know that they are selecting careers in areas where jobs will be available to them."

The lack of access to careers advice was evident in the research with almost a third of respondents hearing about their career from the media and only 14% from a careers adviser.