On 14 July the Government launched a wide-ranging consultation seeking views on what more we can do to accelerate the rate of progress in closing the gender pay gap. By measuring the gender pay gap they have stated that the average women working in the UK earns 19.1% less than men (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings) because of the types of jobs and sectors they tend to work in, the hours they work and other harder to measure factors like corporate culture, unconscious bias, personal choice and discrimination (see Resources Section for Women’s Business Council leaflet on the causes of the gender pay gap). So transparency around gender pay differences is a crucial step in addressing workplace inequalities – helping employers and employees understand the issues that can cause pay gaps and working together to find solutions.
The governments consultation is seeking views on its manifesto commitment to require larger private and voluntary sector employers in Great Britain to publish gender pay information. It will inform the development of new regulations, including exactly what, where and when information should be published. Following this consultation, they intend to seek views on the draft regulations this winter. Since no single act can close the pay gap, the consultation also explores what wider action can be taken to inspire girls and young women, modernise workplaces and support older working women.
Many employers are already taking action to close the gap and a number already publish gender pay gap information. This has clear benefits for business, helping attract, develop and retain talented women.
The government is currently seeking views on how the new mandatory gender pay reporting should work in practice, including:
- What should be reported;
- Frequency of reporting;
- Measures the government can take to support business implement the new regulations; and
- Wider measures that could help close the gender pay gap.
Do please take a look at the consultation to find out more and share your thoughts here:
The consultation is open until 6 September.
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average salaries of men and women, measured by looking at hourly rates. It’s currently 19.1% in the UK; the lowest it’s ever been – but there is still more to do.
Many employers are already taking action to close the gap and some already publish gender pay gap information. This has clear benefits for business, helping attract, develop and retain talented women. The government believes that publishing gender pay differences will help to identify remaining gaps and enable businesses to take further action to reduce differences.
The regulations will implement part of the Equalities Act 2010 (section 78). The detail of the regulations are still to be agreed – including what should be published, how often and what support businesses would value from government. This will be decided after the consultation so it’s important to get involved and have your say.
