Male digital marketers earn 10% more than female counterparts

Today’s digital marketers feel overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated, according to new research. But female digital marketers have more reason to feel aggrieved than their male counterparts due to an unacceptable pay gap in digital marketing. 

A survey of 281 in-house digital marketers by Greenlight Digital found that the average marketer works 41 hours per week, despite being contracted to work just 33 hours weekly. And with marketers working an additional eight extra hours every week on average, almost half (46%) of respondents said they feel overworked and nearly a third (30%) feel underpaid.

The findings, detailed in the The 41 Hour Report, also reveal that marketers believe they lack support from their bosses, with many finding it difficult to secure budget and justify investments. 56% said that they find it difficult to secure the budget they need, while 32% struggle to prove ROI to their bosses.

However, the top frustration reported by respondents is a lack of tools to support their jobs. 30% of digital marketers said they feel negative about their role, blaming the lack of tools available to them as the reason for why they don’t enjoy their role.

Despite these challenges, most marketers feel positive about their roles, and the overtime and pay doesn’t impact their love of their job, with 84% of marketers reporting they enjoy their role.

But male digital marketers may have more reason to be cheery than their female colleagues, however, with Greenlight’s research revealing the existence of a pay gap in digital marketing.

Digital marketers take home around £46,573 per year on average, but men earn more on average and are more likely to receive a bonus than women.

On average men earn almost a tenth (9.5%) more than women, taking home £48,025 per annum, versus £43,864 for women. Around half (48%) of men in digital marketing earn more than the average, compared to just 31% of women. While 47% of digital marketers received a bonus in the last 12 months, this appears to be unevenly split; 54% of men received a bonus, compared to just 35% of women.