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bright network report reveals gender confidence gap

Seven Hills supported Bright Network in releasing its annual graduate insight report this week, with findings revealing a distinct difference in salary expectations between men and women.

Bright Network, a leading platform that unites bright, young talent with global employers and fast-growth businesses, has found that women expect £4,000 less in their first year of a job and £12,000 after five years than men do. It also revealed that 44% of female graduates do not feel prepared to enter the workforce, compared to 30% of male graduates.

The survey also showed a generational attitude shift, with both men and women expecting opportunities for flexible working to be on offer (82%) in their any role, with one-third of respondents believing this to be the single most important consideration for their work-life balance.

James Uffindell, founder of Bright Network, commented: “Priorities may be changing; however, we cannot ignore that this report spotlights a stark gender gap in salary expectations. We encourage employers to become more aware of this as both men and women progress in their careers to make sure such a gap is narrowed from the start.

“It will take time but addressing the foundation of this issue will have a positive knock-on effect for the future.”

‘What do graduates want: Insights from tomorrow’s workforce’ is the fourth annual report that Bright Network has released to ensure that employers are meeting the needs of tomorrow’s graduates and how to best create those connections.

Media coverage for the report’s findings was obtained by Seven Hills in a number of national outlets, including The Independent, Daily Mail, Metro, i, and Daily Express.

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