Is gender equality slipping down the agenda?
Is the campaign for greater gender equality at work drifting a little and is now the time...read more
Employers are being encouraged to publish a narrative explaining their gender pay gap figures to put them in context.
Employers are being warned that they need to contextualise their gender pay gap figures given that many may face rising pay gaps this year.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development says its analysis shows 52 per cent of firms who have filed their figures for this year have seen their pay gap expand in favour of men, with eight per cent reporting no change.
Employers with over 250 members of staff have to report their figures by 30th March for public sector organisations and 4th April for those in the private sector. Companies who have recorded an increasing gap so far include Kwik Fit and Weetabix.
Experts say that the figures can be affected by slight changes in senior management, particularly for those employers who have few women at the top, and by an increase in entry-level women. However, the latter may be a sign that employers are trying to build the pipeline to the top and, if set with the context of an analysis and action plan, would be more positive.
Less than a third of organisations who submitted their figures last year are reported to have published a narrative with them. The CIPD says just 30 per cent of those who filed by 19th March had provided a narrative or other extra information.