Earnings gap closing but women 'paid £9,000 less than men'

Women's pay has increased at twice the rate of men's over the past five years but they still earn on average £9,000 less, new data suggests.

Women's earnings increased by 8% between 2009 and 2014, compared to 4% for men, according to Halifax.

However, the average salary for a man in full time employment was £37,028, in 2014 - the latest year data is available. That is almost a third (32%) higher than the £27,991 paid to female full-time staff.

The Halifax data also highlighted how "traditional gender roles" remained in place for most working families, with more than a third (37%) of all working women in part-time employment, compared to just one in ten (9%) men.

Men were also twice as likely to be self-employed as women (19% against 10%).

Giles Martin, head of savings at Halifax, said: "In terms of pay, women have fared better than men since the economic recovery began. Whilst this has helped to reduce the economic and financial gap between the genders, there is still a substantial difference in average salaries when in full time employment."

"Despite the economic outlook brightening, there are lots of financial pressures facing families, and planning for the long term as well as the short term is key irrespective of gender or income."