Women working in the Scottish technology industry are willing to accept an average minimum salary that is almost £20k less than males, according to Haystack research.

The news comes days after a damning IPPR Scotland report exposing the inequalities in pay and conditions between men and women across the country.

Looking at the minimum expected salary of 1,010 of their current users in tech, the study revealed Scottish women expect an average minimum salary of £22,000 per year compared to men who expect £40,714 – a difference of £18,714.

This means that Scotland currently has the largest expected salary gender gap in the UK, compared to the West Midlands where female employees expect more than men for the same roles, with their minimum expected salary being £37.2k.

Commenting on the research, Mike Davies, COO and co-founder at Haystack, said that organisations must refine their recruitment policies including publishing salaries within job adverts.

“Studies have shown that women are more likely to accept job offers faster than men, meaning they are less likely to negotiate on the offered salary,” Davies said.

“And with many job adverts not disclosing the offered salary as anything other than ‘competitive’, as long as what is on offer matches their minimum, women are more likely to take a role without question.

“This is what perpetuates the gender pay gap. If women go into an interview with a lower expected salary and have been found to accept roles faster than their male counterparts, they will always be accepting less money than men going for the same job. Whereas men, with a higher minimum expected salary and more likely to negotiate, will walk away with a higher salary,” Davies added.

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Female tech workers in other UK regions feel the same way, with salaries expectations in the Southwest of England sitting behind Scotland with a difference of £14,377.

Women in the East Midlands are also prepared to accept a much lower minimum salary than that of their male counterparts, £25,250 compared to £37,217 – a difference of £11,967.

Haystack analysed the roles that pay the most in tech and what skills they require and identified the ten most lucrative tech skills.

When their users’ skills were analysed, it was discovered that more men than women had the most lucrative skills listed in their experience, potentially affecting their earning potential.

Davies continued: “Tech organisations need to start thinking about how they can put their best foot forward and not shy away from publishing salaries.

“We’ve found that this not only increases the overall application rate but also means that more women are happy to step up and value themselves accordingly, rather than relying on misaligned information.”