New research by an online services marketplace reveals that the gender pay gap is shrinking among self employed and freelance workers in the UK, with many women earning the same as their male counterparts. Commissioned by Bidvine.com, an online local services marketplace where users can post jobs they need doing and ask local professionals to quote for the opportunities found that women in sectors such as tutoring, photography and personal training were earning virtually the same as men.

The research used internal data compiled by Bidvine over the last 12 months and also asked 150 men and 150 women from each of the top five sectors on the website to state their average hourly wage for the services they provide. It found that there was little to no difference in earning potential between freelancers and the self employed in terms of gender, some of the results are below:

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Personal trainers (Male – £36 / Female – £33 per hour)
Wedding photographers (Male – £650 / Female – £680 per wedding)
Cleaning services (Male – £11 / Female – £12 per hour)
Plumbers (Male – £73 / Female – £70 per hour)
Music tutors (Male – £28 / Female – £28 per hour)
Gardening services (Male – £21 / Female – £19 per hour)
Language tutors (Male – £25 / Female – £28 per hour)
Electricians (Male – £70 / Female – £68 per hour)
Singing tutors (Male – £30 / Female – £35 per hour)

Although theses results look promising for the gender pay gap and the fact that it is shrinking, it only takes into account self employed and freelance workers. In fact, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics still puts the average gender pay gap at 14.1% across all industries and age ranges, a figure which has been unchanged for three years.

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Bidvine.com co-founder and spokesman Russ Morgan commented about the study saying:

“It’s great to see that, at least among the skilled professionals on our site, the gender pay gap is virtually extinct. The explosion of freelance and self-employed workers has seen a shift in how people value the work they do, and what their customers see as value for money for a job well-done.

Because Bidvine connects customers with professionals that can meet their exact needs, perhaps gender has become less of an issue.

We’re looking forward to the next 12 months, and hopefully, a significant change to the ONS figures this time next year.”