As part of our commitment to pay and conditions free from discrimination, we have today (5 March 2018) published our 2017 Equal Pay Review alongside our statutory Gender Pay Gap data for 2017. Details of both reports are on the University website.
These two reports are very different, but both help us to understand the issue of gender pay:
- The Equal Pay Review – looks at differences between groups of male and female employees who do work of equal value
- The Gender Pay Gap – measures the difference between the average pay of all male and all female employees, irrespective of their job role or seniority. A Q&A can be found here.
We are encouraged to report that our 2017 Equal Pay Review demonstrates that the University provides equal pay for work of equal value. However, our Gender Pay Gap of 20.2 per cent means that our total population of female staff are paid, on average, 20.2 per cent less than our total population of male staff.
Responding to the reviews, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, President and Vice-Chancellor and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion says:
“As a University, we are committed to providing a working environment based on equality and opportunity for all staff irrespective of gender, and this includes rates of pay.
“We are encouraged to report that our Equal Pay Review has demonstrated that the University provides equal pay for work of equal value. However, our gender pay gap of 20.2 per cent means that women are paid, on average, 20.2 per cent less than men.
“We are confident that our gender pay gap does not stem from paying men and women differently for work of equal value, but is instead the result of the different seniority of roles in which our men and women tend to work. Nevertheless we are under no illusions that we have work to do to address this imbalance. Whilst we have made progress in recent years to address gender imbalances, we will continue to review our policies, processes and practices to ensure we continue to address this gap.”
Further details about the work the University is doing to address these gender imbalances can be found in our Equal Pay Review.
Anne-Marie Sitton, Executive Director of Human Resources commented:
“Our gender pay gap figure is disappointing, but it’s important to remember that this gap is not because we pay men and women differently for the same types of work; it’s because of the different seniority of roles in which our men and women tend to work. The University has taken steps to address these tendencies. We have implemented changes to our career pathways, appraisal and promotions processes, with an understanding that all staff require proactive encouragement and support to make the most of the career development opportunities available to them. There have also been targeted initiatives aimed at supporting women to progress at a faster rate.”
Nyovani Madise, Professor of Demography and Social Statistics and the University Lead for Equality and Diversity added:
“Like-for-like, the University is doing well since the report shows that the University pays men and women equally for the same roles. The gender pay gap demonstrates that we have fewer women in higher paying, senior roles. The University is a part of the 30% Club and we have started work to ensure that we have at least 30% women on all university committees and roles. We will continue to support women to progress in their careers by offering training and peer support, for example through Springboard and training prior to promotion interviews.”
The University has been working with the trade unions to conduct its 2017 Equal Pay Review. Three joint meetings have been held in November, December and February to interrogate the data, discuss findings and consider action points arising from the review.
There is a statutory requirement for organisations to report their Gender Pay Gap data through the Government’s Gender Pay Gap Service.
