Official figures show charities have an average pay gap of 2% in favour of male employees.

The pay gap at so-called “general” charities is far lower than in other sectors, according to new research.

Freelance data scientist David Kane found that these charities had an average pay gap of just 2% in favour of male employees.

That figure compares with a UK average of 12% in the private sector and 11% in the public sector.

The research also showed that 54% of general charities pay men more than women, compared to 78% in the private sector and 84% in the public sector.

For his analysis, Kane surveyed UK Government figures on gender pay, which all organisations with 250 or more employees have to submit each year.

He then narrowed the field down to 571 organisations with charitable status, before focusing on just “general” charities, as defined by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). This discounts organisations such as independent schools, government bodies and housing associations.

Women were found to make up 63% of the workforce in the charity sector’s highest paid quartile, compared to just 26% in the private sector. However, female employees also made up 71% of the workforce who were in the lowest paid quintile.

Across all organisations with charitable status, the gender pay gap was found to be 7%.

Kane’s findings have been summarised in a blog post on the NCVO website.

Karl Wilding, NCVO’s public policy director, welcomed the findings.

"But we still have a way to go, we must never be complacent," he said.

"Looking at gender equality is just a start. We must also start thinking about ways we can use data to identify and challenge unequal pay for other groups that are underrepresented and experience discrimination."