A gender gap has emerged between male and female umbrella contractors, according to umbrella firm Parasol.

A Parasol study into the hourly rates of almost 9,000 umbrella contractors found the average hourly rate for male contractors was £34.41, compared with £32.91 for their female counterparts. Over the course of a working year, this works out as a pay gap of £2,643.

Rob Crossland, chief executive at Parasol, says: “The findings clearly show that a gender gap exists in the contracting market, which is a surprise. The reasons that the gap exists at a national level are the subject of much debate, with various parties citing aspects, such as women taking a break from employment to have a family etc. However, I don’t believe this stands up when it comes to contracting. When an end user employs a contractor, it is based on them having the required skill set in order to satisfy the end users requirements. Surely it is the skill set and the market for this skill set that should set the rate, and contractor’s gender should not have an impact?”