'Equality not just about pay' - employers respond to gender pay gap stats

Nearly eight out of 10 companies and public-sector bodies across the country pay men more than women as the deadline passed for them to report their gender pay gaps.

Businesses with 250 employees or more were required to submit the data on mean and median gender pay gaps to the Government Equalities Office by midnight on Wednesday (April 5).

The County Gazette asked councils, schools, organisations, and the emergency services to comment on the data and Taunton Deane and Sedgemoor district councils were the first to respond.

Gov.uk recorded two figures, the mean rate of pay, which is commonly referred to as average pay and the meridian rate, which is the middle figure of all employees.

RELATED: Employers reveal huge gender pay gaps

At Sedgemoor, the women’s mean hourly rate is 13.9 per cent lower than men’s so, in other words when comparing this hourly rate, women earn 86p for every £1 that men earn.

Women’s median hourly rate is 12.6 per cent lower than men’s, meaning women earn just a penny more in the pound than the mean rate.

“The gender pay gap should not be confused with equal pay legislation,” a spokesman for Sedgemoor District Council.

“Equal pay is the statutory right for men and women to be paid the same pay for work of equal or similar value. The gender pay gap is the difference in average pay between men and women across the organisation.”

The council said the extent of council’s gender pay gap reveals differences between the average earnings of men and women but is more likely to mean that there are more men in higher-paid, more senior roles within the organisation.

The spokesman added: “Sedgemoor is committed to both equal pay and equal opportunity for advancement, however we do recognise that in the top 25 per cent of our workforce there is still an imbalance between men and women.

“Over the last ten years the profile of the council’s workforce has changed quite significantly, including the representation of women in senior management roles. Since August 1, 2017, the council has a female chief Executive and the strategic management team, which represents the top three tiers of senior management has a ratio of 3:2 in favour of women.

“The council is reviewing its workforce strategy this year and actions to address gender pay equality will be considered and prioritised within that strategy."

Women at Taunton Deane Borough Council, on the other hand, earn a mean average of 5.9 per cent less than men (94p for every £1) but median averages are level.

Councillor John Williams, leader of the borough council, said: “It is gratifying to see that Taunton Deane Borough Council’s commitment to fairness is reflected in the published data. As a local employer in the public sector we aim to set a good example and embed equality and fairness in what we do.

“It’s not just about pay – it’s about wider attitudes and approaches including flexible working for staff, respect, clear values and principles.

“Our corporate strategy sets these values out clearly: integrity, fairness, respect and trust. As an organisation we are undergoing change, but these principles will remain at the heart of what we do in future.

Female workers for Somerset County Council earn a mean average of 9.9 per cent less than men while the median rate is 13.9 per cent lower.

A spokesperson for Somerset County Council: “We take issues of equality very seriously and welcome the work that is being done to bring attention to the subject of gender equality.

“The council has a job evaluation scheme that ensures that men and women doing similar work are paid on the same grade. 

“It’s worth noting that two-thirds of the highest paid staff are female and there is an even gender split in the council’s cabinet.”

And at South Somerset District Council, the figure is 12.6 per cent and 15.4 per cent lower, respectively.

The gap widened at schools across the county, with Wellington School paying women a mean hourly rate which is 23 per cent lower than men’s. The median figure is at 28 per cent.

Women’s mean hourly rate is 14.7 per cent lower than men's at Queen’s College in Taunton (median is 18.9 per cent) and at Bridgwater and Taunton College the figure stands at 11.8 per cent and 14.1 per cent, respectively.

Dr Lorraine Earps, who became the first female Head Teacher of Queen’s College in 2016, said: “Although the overall percentage reveals female employees have a lower pay than males, this reflects national trends in both the nursery and domestic skills markets. 

“Pay is awarded on the basis of the role being undertaken and not on the gender of the person doing the work and we regularly review all our processes to ensure we are consistently fair. 

“We are delighted that, in the upper pay quartile, we have an almost equal number of men and women showing that men and women are equally likely to be given significant positions of responsibility.

 “This is an important first step in closing the gender pay gap.”

At King’s College, the mean hourly rate for women is 18.3 per cent lower than men’s and a staggering 30.4 per cent lower in the median averages.

A spokesman for the college said: "We are an equal opportunities employer who is committed to ensuring that all staff receive equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability or other unique characteristic. We are extremely proud of our outstanding staff.

"Our professional women and men work together to deliver an excellent education for all our pupils from age 2 to 18.  The salary sacrifice scheme has exacerbated these open figures – by removing these individuals from the calculations our gender pay gaps drop to 14.5 per cent mean and 12.8 per cent median – both well below industry and UK averages.

"Like many independent boarding schools, our gender pay is also materially affected by the relatively high proportion of women in support roles who are paid at lower rates than our teaching staff and this has the effect of creating a male to female pay gap in the statistics.

"We have a good representation of men and women in management positions across our schools and are confident that women and men are paid equally for doing equivalent jobs.

"Our recruitment process is unbiased and transparent; we recruit the right people for the right job, regardless of gender, to achieve the very best for our children and young adults. We take this issue seriously and will remain consistent in ensuring that King’s Schools remains a fair place to work and that we pass this important ethos on to our pupils."

Men earn a mean average of 8.9 per cent and a median average of 25.5 per cent more than women at Richard Huish College, also in Taunton. Women’s mean hourly rate is 9.4 per cent lower and the median rate 13.7 lower than men’s at Taunton School.

Lee Glaser, Headmaster of Taunton School, said: “We have 20 members of senior staff at Taunton School of whom 12 are female and 8 are male. We have a rigorous recruitment process and we always choose the best candidate for the job.”

EDF Energy, a major employer in the South West which is building the new Hinkley C nuclear power plant near Bridgwater, have also commented after revealing it pays women a mean average of 10 per cent (14 per cent median average) less than men.

Carol McArthur, HR Director at EDF Energy, said: “Historically there has been a high percentage of men working in the energy sector, particularly in engineering.  EDF Energy is working hard to tackle this and to increase opportunities for women. We are making significant progress with strong action plans in place and have a commitment to do more.

“For example, last year 35 per cent of our engineering apprenticeships were filled by women, up 14 per cent on the previous year and compared to an industry average of just 3.4 per cent.  We are also working with girls at school to encourage them to consider STEM subjects through our Pretty Curious and Inspire programmes.”

Companies who fail to provide data face legal action and there was a last-minute dash to file the information before the deadline - with more than 15 per cent sending their information between Tuesday at 4pm and the cut-off point.

More than 10,000 companies submitted their data, with 78 per cent of the 10,015 firms having a pay gap in favour of men.

The rest of the employers either have no median gender pay gap (8 per cent) or one in favour of women (14 per cent).

Ryanair is one of the best-known company in the top 10 of those with the worst gender pay gap, along with the holding company for Millwall FC. The airline pays women 71.8 per cent less than men on average - when comparing median hourly rates, for every £1 men earn, women earn just 28p.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: "Gender pay gap reporting is a game changer in terms of workplace culture and practices. It forces employers to look at themselves and understand their organisations and it prompts employees to ask some hard questions.

"But even better than that, finally women are realising that they have a right to talk about pay and they cannot be silenced.

"By finding out what their colleagues earn they are then in a position to challenge any pay inequality. It is much more common than people realise."

Companies who do not provide their figures will face legal action including court orders and fines, but only after they have been given a month's grace to report the figures.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it will write to employers who have not complied on April 9, giving them 28 days to publish the figures "before an investigation takes place and an unlawful act notice is issued".

Courts can impose an unlimited fine on those who do not comply.

Chief executive of the EHRC Rebecca Hilsenrath said: "This is not optional; it is the law and we will be fully enforcing against all companies that do not report.

"This legislation is in place to bring about better gender equality in the workplace and any employer not complying needs to ask themselves tough questions, re-think their priorities, be prepared for serious reputational damage, and be ready to face a very unhappy workforce."