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STATEMENT TO BE MADE BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GENDER PAY GAP REVIEW PANEL ON WEDNESDAY 17th JULY 2019
The Gender Pay Gap Review Panel is pleased to have concluded its review of whether there is a gender pay gap in Jersey. Just to be absolutely clear, the gender pay gap is a measure of the difference between men's and women's average (mean and median) earnings across an organisation or the labour market. I highlight this point because a gender pay gap is sometimes mistaken for equal pay, but they are two different things.
After an extensive and in-depth, yearlong review, which included an exploration of the key issues associated with the gender pay gap, the Panel's overarching finding and recommendation is that there is a gender pay gap in Jersey and the Government should take immediate action to close it.
In order to come to this conclusion, the Panel collected mainly qualitative research during its review because, unlike the UK, there is currently no requirement for employers in Jersey to report on their gender pay gap.
We can say for certain that the public sector has a gender pay gap, figures provided to the Panel showed that as a median average, men earn 13.6% more than women, despite the fact that women make up 65% of the public sector workforce. The Government must take action now to close this gap.
With a focus on gaining qualitative evidence, we commissioned the company "4insight" to undertake a number of focus groups with islanders from all different backgrounds to explore their views and perceptions of the gender pay gap in Jersey. Other methods included speaking to members of the public, organisations, academics and Ministers.
The Panel asked almost all of its stakeholders whether they thought there was a gender pay gap in Jersey. Most, including the Chief Minister, acknowledged that Jersey does have a gender pay gap and the following themes were identified as contributing factors:
• Gender stereotypes from school age
• Occupational segregation stemming from subject choice at school
• Unconscious bias in the workplace
• The "glass ceiling" which stops women reaching upper levels in the workplace
• More women taking on domestic commitments
• More women taking on caring responsibilities
Our report focusses on these factors in particular and it became clear that the issues are complex and difficult to tease apart because they all interrelate with one another in some way. By looking at the average amount paid to all women, vs the average amount paid to all men in any given workplace or profession (or across the whole population) we can see the bigger picture that goes beyond the simple concept of equal pay for the same job role. Something is happening to prevent women from reaching the higher levels of many professions, and thus they are being paid less overall than men.
It is clear from the available data that women are just as capable as men, with girls frequently outperforming boys in education including at degree level. So why are some women not reaching the upper levels in proportionate numbers? In the public sector, there is a significantly greater proportion of women working in jobs that pay less than £80,000 and a greater proportion of men on salaries higher than £80,000. Where are all the educated, capable women that are missing from our public sector?
In its report, the Panel makes 36 key findings and 13 recommendations. Perhaps one of the key recommendations is that the Government collects, analyses and publishes data in relation to the public sector gender pay gap and related issues. The Panel believes this will raise awareness of the underlying issues associated with gender pay gaps such as social norms, biases and gender stereotypes, which our report has touched on.
Rather than recommending statutory measures are introduced, which would make it mandatory for employers to report on their gender pay gap, the Panel has opted to make a number of recommendations in the first instance which focus on initiating a cultural shift to remove the barriers women face in progressing in their careers.
The Panel will follow-up on the review once the recommendations, if accepted, have had time to bed in and take effect. If the Panel sees that the Government is not taking the necessary steps to close the gender pay gap, we will explore the possibility of introducing statutory measures to initiate the change required.
If there are any members who have preconceived ideas about the gender pay gap or who are perhaps a little sceptical about the issues associated with the gender pay gap, then I urge you to read the report in its entirety.
I would like to offer thanks to the Review Panel, to the Ministers who came in to talk to us and to the members of the public and organisations who contributed to our review. Without them, this review would not have been possible and we would not have been able to highlight this very important, and topical issue or the factors that surround it.