London freelance platform, YunoJuno, has released its ‘For Everyone’ report just in time for International Woman’s Day, reaffirming that the gender pay gap still exists within the creative, marketing and PR industries, especially when it comes to freelancing.

The data, compiled looked at the daily pay rates of over 15,000 freelancers using the site since 2016 and found that on average women were paid 8% less than men in 2018, with a daily rate of £300 per day versus £325 – a figure which has stayed consistent since 2016.

The film & motion sector, specifically, had the largest pay disparity of 10% with women winning only 20% of all contracts in 2018. The sector with the most equality in 2018 was strategy with there being no difference in the day rates earned between the genders and women winning 50% of all contracts. The client services sector was found to be the most female dominated part of the freelancing industry with 69% of contracts being won my women and women making 10% more, on average, then their male counterparts.  

Shib Mathew, CEO & founder of YunoJuno, says, “Equality in pay is getting closer, but while the gap has closed in some roles, women are struggling to gain equal representation in creative sectors. Our particular concern from this report is the lack of women and lack of progress getting women into creative departments as freelancers, especially when they make up half of all roles in strategy which, more often than not, determines the creative output.” Because, after all, gender or a person’s self identification don’t affect the ability to be creative, work under pressure or supply professional, high quality work; nor does it make for a better freelancer.