The charity sector is one that discriminates least against women.

This is a conclusion that might be drawn from research by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics and published in leading charity publication Third Sector. The research showed that:

o The gender pay gap is very low in the sector with female managers earning an average of £31,787 p/a, just £208 behind the £31,995 paid to men and well short of the UK economy gender pay gap of £6,000 in favour of men.

o The average female team leader in the charity sector is 37, five years younger than her male equivalent, suggesting that women may be promoted quicker.

o Despite this the female resignation rate in the sector soared to 9.7% in 2006 (compared with 4% in 2005) around four times that of 2.4% for men.

All of this could suggest, as other employment surveys have in the past, that women increasingly look for other things than money and personal advancement in their choice of jobs.