The gender pay gap is a subject perennial interest. So what is the situation in pharmacy, where women make up over 60 per cent the workforce?

ONS data suggest full-time women pharmacists earn 12.6 per cent less than men. These figures correspond to hourly earnings of £22.01 for men and £19.24 for women. Looking at annual earnings, men earn £46,375 and women earn £39,212, despite 71 per cent of full-time posts being held by women.

However, women pharmacists working part-time are paid 21.5 per cent more than their male counterparts at £21.43 an hour.

The ONS notes that the underlying causes of the gender pay gap are complex and may include:

· Women are more likely to work part-time, which can mean a lower rate of pay

·  Women are under-represented in senior roles. This may be due to lack of flexible working or women taking time to look after their family.

You can see how pharmacy technicians and other occupations stack up here.

There were approximately 47,391 registered pharmacists as of March 2013. Of these, approximately 70 per cent work in the community sector and just over 20 per cent in hospitals, 7 per cent in primary care, and around 10 per cent in industry, academia and elsewhere.

Around 11 per cent work across more than one sector and 32 per cent work part-time.

(Figures taken from CfWI: A Strategic View of the Future Pharmacist Workforce)