Shropshire Star comment: The devil is found in the detail

And while the fact that a gender pay gap of 30 per cent exists between men and women employed by the trust running Shropshire’s two main hospitals will cause shock, the devil is in the detail.

Yes, it’s true that men receive a far higher hourly rate than women.

And yet the figures do not reflect the different jobs that are being measured.

Comparisons, therefore, are redundant. It is rather like comparing apples and pears.

Greater analysis is required if a truer picture is to be painted.

Forensic accountants must drill down into the detail to see if the comparisons are of like-for-like professions, or whether in fact they amount to comparing the pay of a male surgeon with a female cleaner.

There should be no disparity between pay if men and women are doing precisely the same job.

Equality is a principle upon which all are in agreement.

The scandal at the BBC, where women were being paid less for doing the same job as men, has highlighted a wider issue in society.

And yet it is equally true that men and women do different jobs, which frequently suits both sexes.

Figures show women are more likely to take lower paid part-time jobs because it fits in with their lifestyles.

There is also an equal and opposite gender imbalance when it comes to matters related to families, where men normally have shorter spells of paternity leave than their female counterparts.

These are trends that are starting to change and rightly so, but that change will take time.

At Shropshire hospitals, the humdrum fact is this: the figures are “heavily skewed” by the medical staff pay gap, rather than gender inequality.

The fact is that, as a society, there are more male doctors and specialists than female.

This is not a Shropshire issue but a national one.

Until we as a society can even up the numbers of girls and boys opting to take on science and ultimately a career in medicine, this issue will exist.

It is up to authorities and education leaders to do all they can to persuade girls that Stem subjects can be for them.

And it is also up to families and parents to encourage their children to fulfil their potential whether they be male or female.

For now, the figures must be taken with a pinch of salt for they do not reflect the true story.