The Friends Caught In Wage Rage

We’ve all been enraged by gender pay gaps at work – but wage discrepancies with your mates hurt just as much says Radhika Sanghani.

- Radhika Sanghani

I’M ON A BEACH in Tel Aviv when my friend suggests hiring sunbeds at a rooftop pool. ‘It’s only £20 a day,’ she says. I look up at the gorgeous pool, then back to the crowded beach we’re on, where beds cost a fiver. I know what I’d prefer, but I also know what my budget says. ‘Let’s stay here,’ I reply. ‘It looks… fun.’

Welcome to the friendship pay gap, where people like me try to convince friends it’s better to play sardines and drink cheap beer than enjoy £13 Negronis in luxury – all because we can’t keep up with our friends’ finances.