This legislation, along with the 1970 Equal Pay Act, aimed to protect women and men from discrimination due to gender or marital status, but this article shows that equal pay is still some way off, and gender still influences the likelihood for women of being in poverty.
The 1970s were very different; women earned about half what an average man did, so we have clearly made progress. But the pay gap is still significant – and has recently increased, according to the Fawcett Society. Women earned on average 11.3% less than men in 2024, up from 10.7% the previous year.
The evidence: employers in East Anglia
Since April 2017, organisations with over 249 employees have been required to report annually on their gender pay gap. Results are public. How do our regional employers fare on equal pay? Below is a snapshot of a random selection. We used mean (average) pay compared to men as Fawcett does, rather than median. Fawcett believes this exposes the “impact of men being more likely to be very high earners”.
The % number given shows how far women’s average hourly pay is below men’s, for 2023/4.
* These companies have made an early return, so data shown is 2024/5.
Industry, retail, breweries, financial services
John Grose Group Ltd: 40.8% lower than men’s
Glyn Hopkin Ltd: 29% lower
Adnams: *25.8% lower
Transport UK Ltd (Greater Anglia): 18.5% lower
Grant Thornton UK LLP: 17.4% lower
East England Co-operative Society Ltd: *16.9% lower
A.J.N. Steelstock Ltd: 16.7% lower
OCS Food Co Ltd, Ipswich: 14.6% lower
Forfarmers UK Ltd, BSE: 13.6% lower
Greene King: 9.9% lower
Bernard Matthews Foods Ltd: *8% lower
Educational institutions
Eastern Multi-Academy Trust: 30.9% lower than men’s
South East Essex Academy Trust: 23.3% lower
King’s College, Cambridge: 17.4% lower
University of Essex: 15% lower
University of East Anglia: 14.9% lower
Gonville & Caius College: 12.6% lower
Healthcare
Mid & South Essex NHS Trust: 26% lower than men’s
James Paget Hospital Trust: 24.6% lower
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge: 20.3% lower
East Of England Ambulance Service: 18.5% lower
The most surprising result was private dentist chain Together Dental, with practices all over East Anglia. They declare their female employees’ average hourly pay was a staggering 81.4% lower than men’s. Together Dental was contacted by EAB, but at the time of going to press had not provided a comment.
It is surprising that, with female-heavy workforces, health and education don’t do well; in jobs with many female staff there should correspondingly be many female senior staff.
What are the reasons for these pay gaps?
Fawcett Society research with Dr Giacomo Vagni of Essex University shows that 63% of the gender pay gap cannot be explained solely by industry or occupation. Other known factors include depressed pay for part-timers and mothers, and just plain discrimination.
Looking at the data visualisations on each company’s page, it does appear that women are often concentrated in the lower-paid roles. Jarrolds of Norwich provides an example. Fully 96% of their lowest paid employees are women.
Is equal pay attainable?
Progress has been made, but employers must be more willing to pay part-time staff a rate commensurate with previous experience and skills. If women wish to work part-time after maternity or adoption leave, they often find they have to accept demotion and lower pay.
The government’s Equality Hub found in 2020 that “offering flexible working in senior positions can enable women who are not available to work what may be considered a standard, full-time week, to progress despite the reduction in hours.”
A company which bucks the trend is the Ford Motor Company, based in Laindon, Essex. Although the majority of their employees are men, their female staff’s average hourly pay was 2.8% higher than the men’s. They also have more women in the highest pay range than the lowest. So it is possible.
Does data reporting make a difference?
Shining a spotlight on it can bring awareness and action. At Cambridge-based Astra Zeneca, women’s average hourly pay is 8.7% lower than men’s. However, in 2017–18 it was 14.3% lower, and the gap has narrowed by about 1% each year since then. Perhaps in a few years they’ll achieve parity.
Dawn Butler MP said in a Westminster Hall Pay Gap debate on 7 January that on average women earn £630 per month less than men, and that at the current rate of change it will take another 40 years to equalise.
The Fawcett Society states that only “concerted action on flexible work, equal pay and the motherhood penalty will reduce the gap”. Hopefully it won’t take another 50 years.
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