Gender pay gap: Only 8% of large UK businesses pay their male and female staff equally

Figures detailing the gender pay gap of every UK company employing 250 staff members or more were released today (5 April). More than 10,000 organisations submitted data, in accordance with government guidelines.

According to the information, on average more than 7,000 organisations pay men more than women. In contrast to this, around 1,300 reported paying female workers more than male workers.

Companies that pay men more

More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)
More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Lingerie retailer Boux Avenue Limited currently have the biggest gender pay gap in favour of men, reporting that a female staff member's median hourly rate is 75.7 per cent lower than a male staff member's. In other words, women working at this company earn 24p for every £1 that men earn.

Next on the list is Fusion People Limited, a Fareham-based recruitment specialist. This company currently pays men a median average of 73.3 per cent more per hour than women.

Aaron Services Limited in Essex (who provide heating repairs, maintenance and installations) reported a gender pay gap of 73 per cent. This is the equivalent of female staff earning 27p while male staff pocket £1.

Companies that pay women more

At the opposite end of the spectrum, accounting and auditing business Inbrella Limited in Bedfordshire pay women considerably more than men. The firm disclosed that they pay female employees 164 per cent more than male ones, on average.

Around 800 companies reported that they have no gender pay gap (Photo: Shutterstock)

The gender pay gap at Bedfordshire-based Randstad HR Solutions Limited is also skewed in favour of women, coming in at a 103 per cent difference. Also in Bedfordshire, Plus Payroll Services Limited reported that the median hourly rate of a female staff member is 100.1 per cent higher than than that of a male staff member.

Companies that are completely equal

Around 800 UK companies (just 8 per cent of all of the organisations who submitted their gender pay gap data) pay their male and female employees equally. These businesses and organisations reported a 0 per cent difference between the hourly rates of men and women.

Household names with no gender pay gap include fashion retailer Accessorize Limited, B&M Retail and Blackpool Pleasure Beach Limited. Several football clubs also reported a 0 per cent difference, including Celtic FC Limited, Birmingham City Football Club PLC and Chelsea Football Club Limited.

Possible mistakes in the data

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The accuracy of these statistics relies on the honesty and vigilance of the reporting organisations. Businesses and public bodies have submitted their own findings, and the data does not appear to have been corroborated.

More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)
More than 7,000 UK companies pay their male employees more than female staff members (Photo: Shutterstock)

There have already been several amendments made to the online database. For example, NWN Media Limited was originally shown to pay men an average of 85.2 per cent more than women. This figure has now been revised to -85.2 per cent, significantly changing the company's overall UK ranking.

Organisations were responsible for submitting their own gender pay gap data by 4 April 2018 (Photo: Shutterstock)

Similarly, a median hourly pay gap of 80 per cent in favour of male employees was initially listed beside Millwall Holdings PLC's name, but this has since been altered to 0 per cent. It is currently unclear whether these changes have been made due to errors from the submitting companies or from the Government Equalities Office who processed the data.

The next steps

Companies which failed to publish their findings by the deadline will be approached informally by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Employers who do not comply could ultimately face fines and convictions.

There are currently no plans to penalise businesses with a wide gender pay gap. Instead, the government intend to publish industry-specific league tables, highlighting the employers failing to even out differences in salary between men and women.

Is the gender pay gap closing?

According to Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures, the gender pay gap fell to 9.1 per cent in the UK last year. The year before, the number sat at 9.4 per cent.

Comparatively, in 1997, men earned 17.4 per cent more than women on average.

All data and figures correct at the time of publication