Research and analysis

Employers’ Understanding of the Gender Pay Gap and Actions to Tackle it: research report on the 2018 Survey

Looks at how employers understand the gender pay gap and what actions they are taking to close it.

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Details

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) introduced gender pay gap (GPG) transparency regulations which are designed to encourage large employers to take informed action to close their GPG where one exists. These regulations came into force in April 2017 and affect around 10,000 employers across the private, voluntary and public sectors in England, Scotland and Wales.

This report provides results from the 2018 research which was conducted shortly after the deadline for employers to publish their first set of GPG data. The survey covered large employers’ understanding of the GPG, their experiences of complying with the regulations, and the actions they were taking to close their GPG (or ensure one did not develop). It followed on from an initial survey in 2017 which provided a baseline measure of employers’ awareness, understanding and actions. Where available, comparative results have been provided from the 2017 research to show any changes over time.

This research consisted of a telephone survey of 900 large employers (with 250+ staff), and 30 follow-up qualitative interviews to explore the key issues in more detail. It took place between July and October 2018.

Published 21 January 2019