Eight ways to understand your organisation's gender pay gap
Key questions for employers to ask that will help you to identify different potential causes of your gender pay gap.
Published 17 April 2020
Last updated 17 April 2020 - see all updates
Contents
- Overview
- Do people get ‘stuck’ at certain levels within your organisation?
- Is there gender imbalance in your promotions?
- Are women more likely to be recruited into lower paid roles in your organisation?
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Do men and women leave your organisation at different rates?
- Do particular aspects of pay (such as starting salaries and bonuses) differ by gender?
- Do men and women receive different performance scores on average?
- Are you doing all that you can to support part-time employees to progress?
- Are you supporting both men and women to take on caring responsibilities?
Do men and women leave your organisation at different rates?
If women are leaving your organisation more quickly than men, this could contribute to your gender pay gap, especially if this is occurring in more highly-paid positions.
To work out if this is a problem in your organisation:
Look at the percentage of women and men leaving your organisation each year, by seniority level. Make sure to look at the proportion of women leaving relative to the proportion of women in that grade.
For example, you might find that 20% of the women in a particular grade left over the last year, whereas only 10% of men in that grade left over the last year.
Example of gender imbalance by employee exit rates, and seniority level
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Conduct a staff survey to identify issues around retention.
Staff surveys can be invaluable in identifying differences in engagement, aspirations to progress or feelings of belonging, which may impact retention.
Analyse results by gender, and consider adding additional questions to help you get to the root of issues. Also, information from exit interviews – if delivered independently and in confidence – are likely to be useful.
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Check whether there are structural issues that may influence people’s perceptions of how
successful they can be at your organisation.
For example, if senior positions are not offered with flexible working arrangements, people with caring responsibilities may not feel they can apply. This could result in talented people feeling that they cannot develop and succeed within your organisation, causing them to leave.
Published 17 April 2020
Last updated 17 April 2020