London rents may be dropping as the pandemic causes people to seek a different lifestyle outside of the capital – coastal towns in particular have become relocation hotspots. But according to new research, it’s the best place in the UK for women to work.

The numbers have been crunched by the folks at SmartSurvey, who factored in each location’s gender pay gap, average salary and the percentage of women in managerial, directorial and other senior roles.

Five of the top ten locations are London boroughs, with Wandsworth and Westminster leading the way in first and second place. In Wandsworth, the average women’s salary is just over £40,000, which is less than the average men’s salary, but only by 0.6%.

In Westminster, the average women’s salary of £37,000 is 1.5% higher than the average men’s salary.

Across the UK as a whole, the gender pay gap is slowly closing, but still stands at a totally unacceptable 15.5%. Recent research has also found that women reach “peak earnings” earlier than men.  This reflects the fact that women are more likely to be adversely affected by childcare costs and barriers to flexible working arrangements.

The London boroughs of Camden, Merton and Lewisham also make the top ten in SmartSurvey’s list.

Wales also performs well generally, with Anglesey, Carmarthenshire and Conwy all making the top ten. In Anglesey, the average women’s salary exceeds men’s by a not inconsiderable 9.7%.

Check out the top 10 in full below.

Globally, the UK is named the 12th best country for women to work, behind Norway, Finland and Denmark in first, second and third.

The global rankings also factor in each country’s total maternal and parental leave, which amounts to 39 weeks in the UK, but a much higher 91 weeks in Norway. You can also check out a recent study revealing the best European cities to work remotely from right now.

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