The fair pay report: How pay transparency can help tackle inequalities

Article

There is a significant and persistent gender pay gap in the UK. Average hourly pay for women remains nearly one-fifth lower than for men. While the gap has been closing, progress has slowed.

To stimulate further action to narrow the gender pay gap, in 2016 the government introduced a requirement for large employers to publish data on the gender pay gap within their organisation. The deadline for publishing the first wave of data was April 2018.

The regulations – and the data they have generated – have prompted a lively debate on the gender pay gap and the role of transparency in tackling pay inequalities.

This report examines the impact of the gender pay reporting regulations. We assess employer perceptions of the regulations and how they have responded. Based on the findings, we set out proposals for improving gender pay reporting, and we set out recommendations for broader pay transparency to tackle wider pay inequalities.

Related items

  1. Women coworking in office, looking at computer screens displaying code, collaborating on project using multimodal AI chatbot technology in software development

    Locked in: A realist's agenda for digital sovereignty

    Digital sovereignty has never been more urgent.
  2. A man stands on a tram during the day holding his phone and wearing headphones

    Empowering people to hold tech accountable

    We need reform to remove structural barriers to people and civil society taking direct action against tech companies in UK courts – putting more power in the hands of people.
  3. The Home Office building in London

    Earned settlement: Decision time

    The government is imminently due to announce plans for a new model of ‘earned settlement’. These are expected to represent the most significant reforms to indefinite leave to remain in a generation.