Gender pay gap extends to pocket money, with boys earning 5% more than girls - study
The pay gap peaks at age 11, where boys earn an annual average of £404 compared to girls' average of £371.
Thursday 18 July 2019 15:49, UK
The gender pay gap extends to pocket money, with girls earning 5% less on average per year compared to boys, a report says.
Boys aged eight to 15 in the UK earn on average £20 more in pocket money per year compared to girls in the same age range, according to the research.
Girls start off as the highest earners at the age of six, but are quickly overtaken by boys, with the gap peaking at the age of 11.
At that age, girls earn an average of £371 per year compared to £404 a year among boys.
The 5% pay gap for children is lower than the national average between adults, which in April stood at 8.6% per year.
Up to the age of 16, boys are better at saving than girls, with the saving gap between the genders peaking at the age of 13. Boys save an average of £65 a year at that age, compared to girls saving just £41.
However, from the age of 17, girls become much more efficient savers, putting aside an average of £103 a year by the time they are 18. Boys, on the other hand, save £84 a year at the age of 18.
The study also looked at which chores on average earned children the most amount of money:
- Walking the dog: £1.50
- Tidying their room: £1.40
- Vacuum cleaning: £1.35
- Homework: £1.30
- Taking out the rubbish/Washing the dishes: £1.05
The figures were collected from a group of 75,000 young people from Generation Z - defined as those born after 1998 - by the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University College London, based on gohenry Youth Economy Report data.
The report looked at how young people (aged six to 18) earned, spent and saved their money. It also examined the highest and lowest young earners in the UK, including pocket money and cash gifts.
Children in Islington, London earn the most, with an annual average income of £677, while children in Wales earn the least, £434 a year on average.
But Welsh children are also the UK's biggest savers, putting away 14% of their income.
The top ten shopping destinations for girls included Superdrug, New Look, and Primark, with supermarket Tesco being the number one.
Meanwhile, boys spent more money on gaming. PlayStation and high street retailer Game appeared on their top ten, with Xbox at number one.