Letter - to Chief Minister re States of Jersey Gender Pay Gap Report 2020 and follow-up - 10 May 2021

Recommendation

Ministerial Response

Update requested

1

The Government of Jersey should take immediate action to close the gender pay gap.

This is accepted in principle, but it needs to be recognised and understood that these issues will not be resolved overnight. It should be recognised that the issue is much broader than purely a governmental response and requires society in its entirety to be accountable.

The recent report published by the Government provides an overview of what the States of Jersey is doing to address the gender pay gap. Have the points made in this section of the report been incorporated into an action plan with timescales so that progress can be measured?

2

The Government of Jersey should lead the way in collating, analysing and publishing data and evidence in relation to the public sector gender pay gap and related issues.

Statistics Jersey will be asked to review and make recommendations on how this can be done, after consultation with stakeholders. Target date was 31 December 2020

Please advise whether this review has been completed and what the intended publication date is?

3

A public sector gender pay gap report should be published on an annual basis and at the same time every year, starting with a report by the end of 2020.

It is agreed that such a report will be helpful. Action has already been taken, and it is presently proposed that the first report will be published late September/ early October this year.

The Panel noted and welcomed the first report which was published in October 2019 and the second which was published in April 2021. What are the reasons for the delay in publishing 2020 gender pay gap figures?

4

Action should be taken to reduce the gender pay gap and address any issues identified in the Government's report.

This is accepted in principle, but it needs to be recognised and understood that these issues will not be resolved overnight. Future policy initiatives should consider gender pay impact as a matter of course.

Please detail how the key findings of the 2019 (and the subsequent Gender Pay Gap Report) have been incorporated into new policy initiatives and action taken to make sure that gender pay issues are addressed in the same initiatives.

Please indicate the work which has been/is being done to address the necessary cultural and behavioural shift.

5

Publication of the public sector gender pay gap should be accompanied by a government publicity campaign. This would raise awareness and understanding of the gender pay gap.

It is good sense to align the report with a publicity awareness programme.

Target date October 2019.

Please could you provide details of the publicity campaign which accompanied the publication of the latest report and the ways in which the Government is raising awareness of the core issues?

6

The Minister for Education should undertake an audit of registered childcare providers, pre-schools and primary schools, to ensure gender neutral practices within the curriculum and the general culture and ethos. This is to challenge and work against the idea that "boys will be boys" and "girls will be girls". The audit should be undertaken by the end of 2020.

In terms of registered providers, this would not be recommended, as our system of review looks at how children's needs and interests are followed and planned for. Our statutory requirements acknowledge that boys and girls could show an interest in any area of learning and be supported in it.

Improved data analysis will ensure that we are addressing any potential gender gaps overall, and within each area of learning. Girls continue to do better than boys by the end of the EYFS in all areas.

Our focus is on ensuring that developmentally appropriate activities are offered to all children, that acknowledge that girls and boys may show different characteristics of learning/ways of learning and develop at different rates.

Please indicate what improved data analysis has been carried out to address potential gender gaps in early years education and within each area of learning.

Please show how a gender sensitive approach to teaching is encouraged and resourced.

7

The Minister for Education should undertake an audit of curriculum choices made by secondary schools and further education providers across the different subjects. The Minister should evaluate the ethos and culture in each school or college and the part the student voice plays in establishing that culture. The audit should be undertaken by the end of 2020.

Details of the curriculum choices and exam entries are monitored annually by the Department, and the outcomes are discussed with Senior Advisers of secondary schools if any concerns exist.

Jersey 8 provides a rigorous approach towards ensuring the curriculum offer is broad and balanced. Special schools will also focus on work-related learning to prepare students for life beyond school.

Was the department able to carry out the interviews detailed in the response given in late 2019 and into 2020? If yes, has this now been fed into the Jersey School Review Framework and what data has resulted? Is there, as yet, any understanding of how this has been affected by the impact of the pandemic on the curriculum and choices made by students?

Each secondary school is required to lay out their curriculum offer for parents on their website, and this includes the examinations offered.

The ethos, culture and student voice are monitored through the Jersey School Review Framework, where a random group of students are interviewed about all aspects of school life, and this includes their involvement in school development. Rigorous interviews are held with the headteacher and parents, and staff will also be surveyed from Autumn Term 2019 onwards. All schools have been encouraged to have a School Council. Following recent Government plan meetings, the importance of student participation at all educational levels has been highlighted.

8

The Minister for Education should instruct the Curriculum Council to introduce measures to reduce gender segregation in subject choices.

Rejected: The role of the Minister for Education is to chair the Curriculum Council.

The choices made for GCSE have shown that gender segregation' is not an issue for concern. Indeed, the options selected for each student's GCSEs are their choice; this is not a matter ordained by the Curriculum Council.

The Jersey Curriculum is just one element in the education of every child'.

Children have the right, spelled out in the UNCRC, to provision which enables them to develop their personalities, talents and abilities irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion ... disabilities or gender.'

As most schools are keen to promote the rights of the child as laid out in the UNCRC, this is an

Any updated data from the Jersey School Review Framework.

What has the Education team done in terms of curriculum development in the specific area of the significantly higher proportion of males than females who chose computing courses at Highlands College in 2018. If more males than females are in technology focussed roles, this could have a greater impact on the gender pay gap in Jersey.

What work has been done to further advance understanding of the social and cultural factors which influence children of all genders in their subject choices, and

underlying principle of the Curriculum Council and its work with schools.

The Curriculum (which is an expectation in law) already states in the introduction:

Teachers should take account of their duties under equal opportunities legislation'.

This includes consideration of gender, and as such, is promoted by the Council and headteachers.

Jersey 8 states: There should be equity of access to qualifications across all schools'. This applies to males and females when taking their options.

All processes relating to the balance of experiences for male and female students are monitored for the Minister under the Jersey Schools Review Framework.

has a gender sensitive approach been taken in this regard?

9

As part of the planned changes to recruitment practices within the public sector, name, age, gender and place of education should be removed from applicants' CVs to ensure that candidates most skilled for the role are recruited. These changes should be introduced by the States Employment Board by Q2 2020.

The principle of greater anonymity of candidates in the recruitment process is supported; however, the States Employment Board will be guided by the outcome of its current review by Officers of these matters. Target date December 2018.

Did the SEB and officers complete this review? Have all changes been implemented and since reviewed? How is the effectiveness of the changes made being measured?

10

The Government of Jersey, with the support of Statistics Jersey, should collect data on the economic value of work done in the home, including childcare, cooking, shopping, housework, odd jobs and gardening. This should be undertaken when

Statistics Jersey will need to consider how the recommendation could be achieved prior to the Government of Jersey accepting this. Target date June 2020.

Please advise on progress against the target date of June 2020.

Has a time-use survey been considered and budgeted for? If not could this possibility be explored and progress reported back to the panel.

measuring Gross Domestic Product and by calculating what it would cost to pay a domestic worker to do the work. Consideration should also be given to changing the term "economically inactive" in official reports when describing the above roles.

11

A Head of Diversity should be appointed to monitor diversity, equality and inclusion within the public sector. The Head would be responsible for implementing relevant strategies and policies, suggesting new initiatives and employment practices to ensure a gender-neutral and gender-sensitive public sector. The role should be created within the existing workforce by the end of Q2 2020.

Rejected: Diversity and inclusion are not the responsibility of one role. All employees are accountable, and all Tier 1 and Tier 2 leaders have this accountability as part of their core responsibilities. The People Strategy will be developed and published later this year, and will include actions relating to diversity, equality and inclusion.

In the absence of the appointee recommended by the Panel, please provide access to the People Strategy or indicate when it is intended that this will be published.

In May 2019 the Government launched the I WILL' initiative as an initial action to inspire women into leadership and create supportive networks for women at all levels in the organisation.' What has the feedback been and how has change resulting from the initiative been recorded? What resources and support have been allocated to this initiative?

12

The Government of Jersey should deliver unconscious bias training and monitoring to all public sector employees. This should be delivered by the end of 2020.

Consideration to this recommendation needs further thought to establish how best to achieve the outcome desired. Finding 27 above refers.

Please indicate the areas in which unconscious bias training has been rolled out and any feedback received?

13

All Departments within the Government of Jersey should receive diversity training to raise awareness of diversity in the workplace. This should be delivered by end of 2020.

The People Strategy will be developed and published later this year, and will include actions relating to diversity, equality and inclusion. The Learning Strategy underpins the People Strategy, and this will include training related to diversity, equality and inclusion.

As for 11, above, and same question for the delivery of the Learning Strategy.

14

The Government of Jersey should explore voluntary measures, such as the 30% Club, which aims for greater gender balance in business. This work should be undertaken before the end of 2019.

Team Jersey has an action to create a taskforce of employers to focus on creating a positive workplace culture in Jersey, which includes developing talent and diversity. This will be included as part of the terms of reference for this forum. December 2019.

Has Team Jersey undertaken this work? Please detail any progress.

Key finding reference

Update requested

15

14

What progress has been made on implementing a consultation with stakeholders and interested parties on the necessity and/or appropriateness of a statutory requirement for employers to publish information on their gender pay gap?

Has Government actively sought the views of those Jersey organisations which already publish this data voluntarily?

16

33

Has the first review of the implementation of the Minister for Social Security's proposal to extend family-friendly employment rights taken place and what were its findings. Please provide all relevant reports.

17

31

What were the findings of the Early Years Policy Development Board having explored with the Tax and Income Support teams the issues faced by working parents and the financial impact of childcare?