Yorkshire firms under legal requirement to publish gender pay gap details

Companies failing to address the gender pay gap will be highlighted in new league tables as part of plans to be unveiled by Women and Equalities Minister Nicky Morgan today.
Education Secretary Nicky MorganEducation Secretary Nicky Morgan
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan

Building on the Prime Minister’s pledge to end the gender pay gap in a generation, Nicky Morgan will announce that the Government is pressing ahead with legislation to force companies with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap details.

The Government is also going even further by forcing companies to publish how many women and men are in each pay range.

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However CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn said league table should not be used to 'name and shame' firms.

Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky Morgan said: “In recent years we’ve seen the best employers make ground breaking strides in tackling gender inequality. But the job won’t be complete until we see the talents of women and men recognised equally and fairly in every workplace.

“That’s why I am announcing a raft of measures to support women in their careers from the classroom to the boardroom, leaving nowhere for gender inequality to hide.

“At the same time I’m calling on women across Britain to use their position as employees and consumers to demand more from businesses, ensuring their talents are given the recognition and reward they deserve.”

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Among the raft of new measures employers must publish their average gender pay gap and bonus gap on their website. It's expected around 8000 bosses will have to publish the data of the number of men and women in each pay range.

A league table will be created on how company's are faring nationally to address gender gaps, and the first official publication is set to be in 2018.

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, said: "League tables should not be used to name and shame firms, as data will only be able to present a partial picture, particularly given factors such as the mix of part-time and full working and sectoral differences.

"Where reporting can be useful is as a prompt for companies to ask the right questions about how they can eradicate the gender pay gap.

"The Government should consult closely with business to ensure that this new legislation helps close the gender pay gap, rather than ending up as a box-ticking exercise."