Women dominate front of house roles - but their salaries are still lagging behind men, analysis from The Change Group has revealed.
While women hold seven out of 10 chef de rang or waiter positions, men are still paid around £1,150 more per annum than women, according to research by London’s largest hospitality recruiter.
Male head waiters earn almost £4,300 - almost 20% more - than female head waitresses.
The findings came from a review of six years of data from the Office of National Statistics as well as the Change Group’s database of candidate registrations.
There are more female than male catering and bar managers (on average 56%), but men hold more restaurant (67%) and pub manager (60%) roles.
Women restaurant managers on average earn almost £3,500 less than men (10% less).
The gap is much narrower for bar managers where women earn on average around £600 less than men and female assistant bar managers are earning around £600 more than men.
In certain categories women are marginally ahead of men, with female sommeliers on average paid £827 more than men, and female floor are paid £670 more than men.
Craig Allen, founder and director of The Change Group said: “Our analysis shows that while there isn’t as straightforward a male/female divide as there once was, men are clearly still the winners front of house.
“Even in roles such as waitering, where women clearly dominate, men earn more money. We know that many restaurants and employers are addressing this situation but we all need to do more to ensure fair pay for all.”
