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.

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