Equality & Diversity Pay Gap
The University of Glasgow take prides in its world changing reputation, bringing exceptional people together through a shared purpose and shared values.
The past year was one of the most pivotal in the University’s history. Amidst the uncertainty and challenges, our University community pulled together in the most extraordinary way to support one another and our students.
Of course, there are some things we could have improved over the past year. We have much work to do in becoming a more diverse and inclusive community, recognised as an important priority for the University in its new World Changers Together 2020-25 strategy.
As this report demonstrates, we are starting to make positive progress, evidenced by the 2.5% decrease in our gender pay gap, but we have a long way to go. In 2018 the UK Government announced a number of measures to tackle ethnic disparities in the workplace and are yet to implement a mandatory requirement for organisations to report on their ethnicity pay gap.
As part of the University’s commitment to address any barriers to equality, we have decided to publish our ethnicity and disability pay gap.
Our ethnicity pay gap shows that the gap between median hourly pay of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) group to the White Ethnic group (which includes White Other) at Glasgow is 2% in favour of the BAME group.
There is no disability pay gap between median hourly pay of those who have confirmed they have a Disability compared to those in the non-Disabled group.
Having accurate, timely and relevant gender data has enabled us to identify areas of issue to gender equity and generate specific action plans. This is, however, not the case with respect to Ethnicity and Disability reporting where large data gaps exist, evidenced by the fact that 19% of staff have not recorded their ethnicity and 25% of staff have not indicated their disability status.
There is a recognised sensitivity surrounding data collection across these characteristics and we acknowledge that some staff may feel uncomfortable declaring them; however, the success we have had in reducing our Gender Pay Gap may support wider understanding as to how this data can be used for positive effect and we will continue to encourage and promote full disclosure of the relevant information, where possible.
We take an intersectional approach, i.e., where data intersects two demographic groups, for example gender/ethnicity. This will assist us in identifying the extent of the underlying issue(s) across the University and, in turn, develop the steps we need to take to address these.
The Pay Gap Measure and what they signify
Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016, the University is legally obliged to report on both the Equal Pay and Gender Pay Gap, quoting the average and median figures based on a data cut on August 31st, 2020.
A pay gap occurs when there is disproportionate representation of one group over another at different levels in the institution, for example, more men in senior roles compared to women is an indicator of “structural inequality”. That is why it is important that we undertake actions to reduce these imbalances through improvements to our policies, processes and practices. These changes aim to optimise fairness and objectivity, and over time improve representational balance as opportunities arise through the regular flow of people in and out of roles.
It is important to note that the gender pay gap is a different legal concept from equal pay. Equal pay is about comparing the pay of men in women who carry out the same/similar jobs, or work of equal value. This is actively managed at the University of Glasgow, an example being our zone based Professorial pay framework.
What is the difference between mean and median figures?
The median pay gap is the difference between the midpoints in the ranges of hourly earnings of men and women. It takes all salaries in the sample, lines them up in order from lowest to highest, and picks the middle salary. We believe this is a more representative measure of the pay gap at the University because it is not affected by outliers – a few individuals at the top or bottom of the range.
The mean gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and women.
What are we doing to close the pay gaps?
We have exceeded the 2020 demographic targets set out in our Gender Pay Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2030 and in line with the People & Organisation Development Strategy 2020 -2025 will now review our targets to stretch ourselves further.
We will achieve our targets by continuing to apply a developmental framework in which all staff have equality in opportunity; from our People First initiatives to our Early Career Development Programme (ECDP) we hope that these interventions will have real impact over the coming years across all job families and at all grades. Schools and Research Institutes continue to address gender inequalities at a local level through the Athena Swan Charter, and as an organisation we now hold 24 awards at all levels.
The data included in this report does not take account of the impact that Covid-19 will have on our people and we recognise that our female colleagues may be disproportionately impacted. To mitigate and limit this impact, we will closely monitor our data and, where necessary, put in place appropriate actions. We have already begun this process with our current, (2021) round of Academic Promotions and will continue to do so over the following years.
We have a lot to achieve in this sphere, particularly with the inclusion of ethnicity and disability. We are only four years into our Gender Pay Strategy and Action Plan and we continue to strive for positive change without taking for granted past successes.