1. Women & the SW Economy
The Gender Pay Gap and
Pay Audits
Jackie Longworth, Chair Fair Play SW
2. Fair Play SW
• Region’s Gender Equality Network
– Supported by Equality SW (on behalf of RDA & other funders)
– Largely women’s organisations and expert individuals (including men)
– Managed by an informal voluntary Board
• Aims:
– Gather intelligence on behalf of public authorities and raise awareness
of the impact of unequal opportunities for women and men
– Facilitate consultation with women’s organisations
– Reduce the gender pay gap in the SW
– Influence national, regional and local policy and practice to enhance the
economic and social position of women in the SW
• Methods
– Holding events mainly for women and women’s organisations
– Responding to national and regional consultations on gender equality
– Developing a wide ranging network of regional, sub-regional and local
women and organisations (men and women’s) interested in gender
equality
3. Gender Pay Gap
Definitions
• In the UK, women in paid employment earn less per hour
than men (on average)
– Women and Work Commission say costs UKplc £23bn
– Pay gap % =
100x (average men’s pay – average women’s pay) /average men’s pay
– Average can be mean or median; using mean it is 17%, using median it is 23%
(averaged over full and part time workers across UK)
• In the UK, part time workers earn less per hour than full
time workers
– Significant part of pay gap due to fact that more women work part time than men
– Available part time work is largely in low paid sectors or positions within sectors
– High proportion of low paid part time women are more qualified than needed for
the jobs they do.
• Pay gap causes found (by Equal Opportunities
Commission) to be:
– 1/3rd discrimination (unequal pay for same work or work of equal value)
– 1/3rd job segregation (women steered into low paid sectors)
– 1/3rd lack of flexibility in higher paid jobs/ lack of affordable childcare/women’s
cultural responsibility for caring roles as well as paid employment
5. Torbay UA
Cornwall and
Isles of Scilly
Devon
Dorset
Somerset
Bournemouth
UA
Total SW
Wiltshire
Poole UA
Plymouth UA
Gloucestershire
North Somerset
UA
Bath and North
East Somerset
South
Gloucestershire
Bristol, City of
UA
Swindon UA
Median Hourly pay for full time workers
15.00
14.00
13.00
12.00
11.00
10.00
9.00
8.00
men
women
6.
7. Causes of the Gender Pay Gap in
the SW of England
• Discrimination in employer pay systems
• Preponderance of low paid sectors in some parts of the
region with gender segregation into these sectors
• Preponderance of sectors with high levels of part time
working at low pay
• Lack of opportunities for flexible working in higher paid
sectors
• Poor access to affordable childcare, particularly (not
exclusively) in rural areas
• Poor availability of higher paid jobs local to many
communities, affecting carers particularly
8. Possible Solutions – from FPSW Events
(and WWC Recommendations)
• Public services to provide for the differing needs of
women and men workers
– Transport, transport, transport!
– Co-location of housing, infrastructure and jobs – importance of single
Regional Strategy being gendered, also RFA
– Local jobs for local people
– Skills development for women in non-typical careers
– Information, advice and guidance to be gendered
– Schools extended hours (consultation)
– Affordable childcare
• VCS and individuals to make use of the Gender Equality
Duty to challenge how public authorities are promoting
reductions in the gender pay gap
• Employers to analyse their own internal impact on the
Pay Gap
– Eg RDA resolve issues – possibly small overall impact
– Act as role model for beneficiary employers – possibly huge impact
9. What does an internal pay gap analysis involve?
• Knowledge - step 1
– Identify average pay of men and women by:
• grade,
• whether part time,
• job sector (if relevant)
– Calculate overall pay gap (mean & median)
• Analysis – step 2
– Is any pay gap due to:
•
•
•
•
Discrimination within grade?
Discrimination between part time and full time working?
Differences in promotion / job grade for men and women?
Job segregation in sectors?
• Solutions – step 3
10. Essential Features of a successful pay audit
• Involvement of management, unions and
staff
• Commitment to the delivery of solutions
(to a realistic timetable)
• Transparency to staff and stakeholders
• FPSW / ESW willingness to help!
