Gender pay gap at St Albans council due to lack of women in senior roles, report finds
The council has published data about the gender pay gap between their female and male employees. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto. - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
A lack of women in senior positions is being blamed for a 7.3 per cent gender pay gap at St Albans council.
A new report to be discussed by the council’s cabinet tonight also shows there is a 57 per cent gap in the amount paid in bonuses to each gender.
The gap of 7.3 per cent is a mean average which is lower than that for the public sector, where the pay gap is 17.7 per cent.
The council’s chief executive Amanda Foley said: “We are pleased with the results of our gender pay report. It shows we are successful in ensuring equality in the workplace.
“The report is based on a snapshot of the council’s pay roll on March 31 last year and was analysed by an independent organisation.
“Our gender pay gap is narrow and way below the national public sector mean gap of 17.7 per cent and median gap of 19.4 per cent. Our figures are 7.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively.
“The gender pay gap we have is not the result of us failing to pay men and women equally.
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“Quite the contrary, we have robust systems in place to ensure we provide equal pay for male and female employees doing work of equal value. This includes grading jobs in a non-discriminatory way.
“The analysis shows the gap is due to the distribution of men and women in the organisation. We have a higher proportion of women in lower paid roles, resulting in their average pay being lower.
“Given recent appointments at a senior level in the organisation we would be expecting the pay gap to narrow further for the next reporting period.”
In addition to Ms Foley, women are in charge of running the housing, corporate services, and planning departments at the council.
The council is publishing a full data analysis in February, and will be discussing outcomes with Unison.
To see the report, visit stalbans.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=117&MId=8315
