Gender Pay Gap Continues To Be A Hot Topic

With the BBC vowing to change how it pays its TV stars and with under six months to go to the deadline for publishing gender pay results, the awareness of the Gender Pay Gap has remained a hot topic in the news.

New statistics were highlighted by campaigners recently. Equal Pay campaigners claimed that from 10th November this year women effectively work for free as their average wage stops being paid relative to their male counterpart. Other statistics suggest that if change continues at the same rate as seen over the last five years, the Gender Pay Gap will take 100 years to close.

With progress described as ‘snail’s pace’ and ‘stalled’ by various individuals at the forefront of the campaign, the possibility that the gap won’t reach 0% until 2117 has once again put Gender Pay on the front pages. The removal of the Gender Pay Gap will only become a reality for the next generation, suggesting that this issue will remain relevant for many decades to come.

Equal pay or Gender pay?

There is no doubt that the movement to close the Gender Pay Gap revolves around equality. Despite widespread use of the terms ‘equal pay’ and ‘gender pay’ in the media, they refer to separate challenges. Equal pay refers to men and women receiving equal pay for carrying out work that is like work, work rated as equivalent or work of equal value, regardless of differences of sex or race, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Gender Pay centres around the imbalance of women’s equality in the workplace and the ambition to close the gap.

What do we need to consider?

Gender pay is a complex issue affected by multiple factors. The ONS provides deeper analysis and statistics. For example, women’s average pay was greater than men’s in a total of 23 areas – locations such as Sutton and Middlesbrough. The average pay gap in high-earning occupations have also been disclosed – demonstrating a difference of £23,960 per annum in favour of males in a chief executive or senior official role. These statistics allow the public to better understand the differences across fields such as location, job role and industry.

From an employers perspective, facts and figures are only the start of the discussion. The importance lies with why there may be an imbalance and what can be done about it. Completing a gender pay narrative, carrying out a detailed pay audit or creating an action plan are all steps looking at the wider issue.