Closing the Gap - does transparency hold the key to unlocking pay equality?

Nearly forty years on from the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, the gap between women and men’s pay is a persistent thorn in the side of workplace equality. In 2009, the UK gender pay gap reduced from 17.1% to 16.4%. However, the pay gap persists and rises to an astonishing 55% in the financial services industry.

The UK workplace harbours a culture of secrecy around pay that stands at odds with a legislative framework where the onus is on the individual to seek redress. In Sweden and Quebec, pay equity legislation has revolutionised the workplace with a culture of transparency that has empowered employers to not only expose, but tackle pay inequalities head on, resulting in a reduction of gender pay gaps.

Whilst the proposed Equality Bill goes some way to acknowledge the imperative for transparency, the realisaation must dawn that nothing short of a transformation of UK pay legislation and employer practice will bring us closer to equal pay.

This report looks at learning from international practice and the options for measuring pay, and asks: could transparency hold the key to unlocking pay equality?