Almost eight out of 10 companies and public sector bodies operating in Britain pay men more than women overall, said data published Thursday confirming long-standing gender inequality in the workplace, reports AFP from London.

Prime Minister Theresa May introduced laws last year to force all employers with more than 250 staff to submit their gender pay gap details to the Government Equalities Office, which has now published a slew of data.

Some 10,015 businesses complied with Wednesday’s midnight deadline for submissions, while those who failed to do so face the prospect of legal action.

Some 78 per cent of commercial businesses and public sector organisations pay male staff more than female colleagues, according to Thursday’s data cache.

However, 14 per cent of respondents revealed that they pay women more than men, while eight per cent had no gender pay gap.

The average gap—or per centage difference between the average male salary and the average female salary—across all companies that submitted details stood at 12 per cent.