THE extent of Scotland’s public sector pay gap will be laid bare today when the declaration deadline hits.
All companies and public bodies with a headcount of 250 or more had until today to report the difference in hourly pay and bonuses for male and female workers.
READ MORE: Law Society reveals gender pay gap favours men despite employing more women
The Government Equalities Office expected data from around 9000 organisations.
As of 4pm yesterday 8330 had done so, with almost eight in 10 of these revealing male staff earned more than their female counterparts.
Women were out-earning men in just 14 per cent of cases, with equal earnings reported in just eight per cent of cases, including Barrhead Travel Service.
The UK-wide median gender pay gap is 18.4 per cent.
However, many employers have revealed the difference in their companies is greater than this.
In one example, that of bailed-out lender Royal Bank of Scotland, men earn 36.5 per cent more than women. The figure is above that of rival HBoS, which sits at 26.4 per cent.
In another – Abellio Scotrail – the difference in median hourly pay is 27.2 per cent.
Appearing on ITV’s Loose Women yesterday, Apprentice star Karren Brady, who is vice-chairman of West Ham United, said there were several factors behind the ingrained disparity.
She said: “When you have a child you have to come out of the workplace. In finance, women are paid 40 per cent less than men because of these career gaps they have to take.
“The biggest barrier to women who have children and want a career is high-quality, affordable childcare.
“That is a real problem we have to solve in this country so women can get back into the careers that they want.”
Brady, who has made a documentary on the issue for Channel 5, also argued that far fewer women than men negotiate pay rises, stating: “There’s an issue that women have this fear factor where they don’t have the confidence to ask, and they are sort of grateful for the job and do not want to rock the boat.
“But we need to get more women rocking that boat.”
Companies who do not provide their figures will face legal action including court orders and fines, but only after a month-long grace period.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will write to employers who have not complied on April 9 to issue a 28 day notice.
EHRC chief executive 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.”
Of firms currently known to have the most acute gender pay gaps, Ryanair is the best known.
For median hourly rates, the budget airline pays women just 28p for every £1 earned by men. It says this is because of only eight of its 554 UK pilots are female.
A spokesman for the Institute for Fiscal Studies said: “The gender wage gap has barely fallen over the last 15 years and greater understanding of its determinants are needed.
“The new data being provided by employers could help contribute to that. As ever, however, the statistics are limited and need to be interpreted with care.”
The Home Office said: “Reporting gender pay gap data is not optional.
“Employers that do not comply will risk facing legal action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
“This is the first year of reporting and we will use the results to target our efforts effectively as we continue to work with employers towards eliminating the gender pay gap.”
The BBC, which has a gap of nine per cent, has already declared it is working to improve the balance in earnings and representation. It aims to have a 50:50 ratio of male and female experts used in its programming by April next year.
News show Outside Source, which is simulcast on the BBC news channel and BBC World News, has already achieved a 50:50 gender split after adopting a system of self-monitoring in January 2017.
Director General Tony Hall said: “This is a fantastic project that is already driving change.
“Adopting it more widely will help transform the range of expert voices across the BBC.”
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