Almost all (93%) of respondents believe that employers should have to publish the overall gender pay gap within an organisation, according to research by Business in the Community.
Its report, The gender pay gap: what employees really think, which surveyed 1,179 employees, also revealed that 87% of respondents think compulsory gender pay gap reporting will help to close the pay gap.
The study also found:
- 92% of respondents would use employers’ pay gap data to make a decision between organisations if they were looking for a new role.
- Two-thirds (60%) of female respondents believe that a gender pay gap exists in their place of work.
- 51% of all respondents believe that men and women working at the same level or doing similar work do not earn the same.
- 60% of respondents say that they would ask their employer what action they are taking to close the pay gap.
- 91% of respondents say they would speak about the gender pay gap issue at work, if reporting figures indicated that female employees were being paid less than male counterparts performing the same role.
Kathryn Nawrockyi, gender equality director at Business in the Community, said: “The report shows that employees really do care about the gender pay gap, and that they do not want to be kept in the dark about pay any longer. The overwhelming majority believe that mandatory reporting of the gender pay gap will help to close it in time.
“Most organisations will invariably have a gender pay gap; it is a complex figure, influenced in large part by occupational segregation, that is, the concentration of women in particular jobs, functions and industries that are lower level or lower paid.
”Closing the pay gap is not simply a question of fixing unequal pay, though this is still a problem in the UK today; some survey respondents cited examples of pay inequity in their own organisation. Therefore any public reporting of pay data should be accompanied by a narrative to help people understand the context behind an organisation’s pay gap, as well as a clear plan of action to close the gap.
“The reality is that legislation is coming. Therefore our recommendation to employers is that they listen to what employees are saying and take action now to understand and publish their pay data ahead of the regulatory requirements. This is a real opportunity for employers to build their employees’ trust and to show their commitment to achieving real gender equality in work.”