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5. Tackling the Gender Pay Gap, Supporting Women and Promoting Equality in the Workplace

Despite being at its lowest ever rate, gender pay gap for all employees in the UK (both full-time and part-time) is still 18.1% (ONS, 2016). Even greater disparities of pay exist between the male workforce and BME women, with Pakistani and Bangladeshi women earning 26.2% less than their male counterparts. According to HM Revenue & Customs data, obtained from Clyde & Co, women have accounted for just over 25% of higher-rate taxpayers in the last six years. During the same period, the percentage of female high earners has remained the same, while the total number has risen by almost 1 million.

A similar trend is encountered in the public sector. In July 2016, BBC found itself in the midst of a gender pay gap row, when it was revealed that only one-third of its top earners were women, and the top seven were all men. Injustices moreover exist within local government. Just one in three councillors are women, whilst only 4% of councils have maternity leave positions. The Fawcett Society subsequently estimate that equality in local government pay and representation won’t be achieved until 2065.

In response to the persistent gender pay gap, in April 2017, the Government introduced a new regulation that obliges companies with 250 or more employees to disclose gender and bonus pay and the proportion of male and female employees in different pay bands. It is estimated that the new legislation will affect around 9,000 companies, which in total employ more than 15 million people. Significantly, employment tribunal fees, criticised for obstructing justice for female victims of workplace discrimination, were scrapped in July 2017 after being deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court.

However, significant progress is still required to overcome gender equality in the workplace. A survey from Young Women’s Trust (September 2017) found that one in eight large employers admit workplace harassment goes unreported. Previous research from the Trade Union Congress and Everyday Sexism Project (August 2016) revealed that 52% of women and 63% of women aged 18-24 years old had experienced sexual harassment at work.

This timely symposium will offer employers, HR officers, legal professionals, equality campaigners, trade unions and other stakeholders with an invaluable opportunity to assess the impact of recent legislative changes and discuss what further steps can be taken to close the gender pay gap and end sexism and harassment in the workplace. 

Delegates will:  

• Scrutinise the impact of the Government’s recent reforms towards tackling the gender pay gap
• Examine the impact of the employment tribunal fees abolition on tackling gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace
• Analyse the cultural underpinnings and structural contexts in which discriminatory actions occur
• Discuss how to remove barriers to promotion to increase the number of women in senior positions
• Examine the gender pay-gap among BME women and explore ways to tackle it within your organisation
• Share best practices in ensuring women are supported at all levels in an organisation including through flexible working, shared parental leave and re-skilling

Register your place here.