Almost a third of UK government spending saw the internal pay gap grow last year , figures from December 2018 have revealed . addressing the problem is the policy of capping internal pay increases . This disproportionately affects women , as men are more likely to join , or re - join , the senior ranks of the Civil benefit from external , higher paid positions , while females are more likely to join at a junior level . This means those who work their way up to the equivalent level of seniority will be on a lower level due to the pay caps .
Almost a third of UK government departments saw the gender pay gap grow last year, figures from December 2018 have revealed. Exacerbating the problem is the policy of capping internal pay increases. This disproportionately affects women, as men are more likely to join, or re-join, the senior ranks of the Civil Service from external, higher paid positions, while females are more likely to join at a junior level. This means women who work their way up to the equivalent level of seniority will be on a lower salary due to the pay caps.