ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS. The gender pay gap in UK higher education

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS The gender pay gap in UK higher education 2001-2 AUT RESEARCH, February 2004

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS The gender pay gap in UK higher education 2001-2 Summary The pay gap between women and men in full time work across the UK is 18% - that is, the average pay of women is 18% below their male colleagues. In higher education institutions across the UK the pay gap is 15%. In England the gap is 14.7%, in Scotland 17.5%, in Wales 18% and in Northern Ireland 16.9%. The pay gaps at individual HEIs in the UK range from 42% to -0.6%. Women academics in UK higher education are over-represented in the more junior job grades and under-represented in the highest grades. For example, in universities established before 1992, 43% of those on the most junior grade of Lecturer A were women, compared with only 12.2% of professors. Within grades women academics tend to be over-represented at the lower salary points and under-represented at the highest points. The proportion of women on discretionary points within a salary grades is particularly low. For example, in the senior lecturer grade at pre-92 universities, 22% of those in the grade are women, but only 15% of those on discretionary points are women. Recruitment incentives or golden hellos are used almost exclusively in subject areas that are dominated by men. The gender pay gap in higher education could be caused by a number of factors, but the following are likely to have a significant impact: - The level of employer s discretion in determining salaries - including where staff are placed on a scale on appointment, and the use of discretionary salary points and market supplements; - Having long pay grades; - The use of recruitment and retention incentives; - The way promotion opportunities are accessed. Despite the publication of guidance by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education (JNCHES) in 2002 on carrying out equal pay reviews, the majority of HEIs have not carried out such reviews to date. Employers in higher education are seeking to lengthen pay grades, increase the use of discretionary salary points, make greater use of market supplements and introduce more local pay discretion. The AUT believes these measures will further entrench the gender pay gap. To reduce and eliminate the gender pay gap, the AUT is arguing for shorter pay scales, a robust and transparent grading structure, transparent and accessible criteria for progression and promotion and, at the very least, safeguards for the use of discretionary points and market supplements. AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 2

1 UK pay gap overview More than 30 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed to get rid of differences in pay due to sex discrimination, the pay picture in UK higher education remains a matter of serious concern. The average pay for full-time female academic staff in the UK in 2001-2 was 15% lower than that of their male colleagues (Table 1). 1 This means that for every 1 earned by a male academic, their female colleagues only earned 85p on average. In England the pay gap was slightly narrower, with women s earnings on average 14.7% less than their male colleagues. But the gap was 17.5% in Scotland, 18% in Wales and 16.9% in Northern Ireland. By comparison, full-time female employees across Great Britain as a whole earned on average 18% less than full-time male employees. 2 Table 1 Gender pay gap in higher education institutions 2001-2 % UK 15.2 England 14.7 Scotland 17.5 Wales 18.0 Northern Ireland 16.9 Source: AUT analysis of HESA data 2 Pay gap at higher education institutions in England In 2001-2 there was a range of pay differences between full-time male and female academics at individual institutions in England. At one end of the scale, the average pay for women was 42% lower than for men at St George s Hospital Medical School in London, while at Bath Spa University College, women earned 0.2% more than their male colleagues (Table 2). AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 3

Table 2 Gender pay gap in higher education institutions in England 2001-2 Average salary 2001-2 Higher education institution Female Male Total Pay gap % Anglia Polytechnic University 32243 33880 33202 4.8 Aston University 29678 36572 34787 18.9 Bath Spa University College 31348 31272 31299-0.2 The University of Bath 28014 33376 32085 16.1 Birkbeck College 30127 33002 31962 8.7 The University of Birmingham 28023 34927 32753 19.8 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 30278 32986 32195 8.2 Bournemouth University 29117 31991 30954 9.0 The University of Bradford 27522 29690 29053 7.3 The University of Brighton 30289 33085 31902 8.4 The University of Bristol 28067 36084 33573 22.2 Brunel University 27743 30087 29296 7.8 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 31226 33277 32469 6.2 The University of Cambridge 26567 32439 30548 18.1 The Institute of Cancer Research 27461 36123 31641 24.0 Canterbury Christ Church University College 31447 32803 32164 4.1 The University of Central England in Birmingham 29336 30766 30303 4.7 The University of Central Lancashire 29891 32567 31516 8.2 Chester College of HE 27842 30387 29201 8.4 University College Chichester 31489 32128 31880 2.0 City University 34987 39571 37585 11.6 Coventry University 27738 30732 29682 9.7 Cranfield University 31463 36824 35866 14.6 De Montfort University 30182 32831 31942 8.1 University of Derby 28622 30918 30002 7.4 University of Durham 28494 32696 31654 12.9 The University of East Anglia 27912 32685 30923 14.6 The University of East London 31789 34599 33482 8.1 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 30956 31665 31297 2.2 The University of Essex 29850 35950 33979 17.0 The University of Exeter 27524 33510 31838 17.9 University of Gloucestershire 29802 32511 31553 8.3 Goldsmiths College 32820 37854 35633 13.3 The University of Greenwich 33361 37155 35902 10.2 University of Hertfordshire 28343 32137 30236 11.8 The University of Huddersfield 28630 31350 30348 8.7 The University of Hull 30725 34982 33738 12.2 Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine 22208 29718 27405 25.3 Institute of Education 36640 41006 38693 10.6 The University of Keele 29653 35478 33379 16.4 The University of Kent at Canterbury 28178 34833 32830 19.1 King Alfred's College, Winchester 30231 30886 30616 2.1 King's College London 31652 40065 36429 21.0 AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 4

Kingston University 33212 34180 33801 2.8 The University of Lancaster 28514 33945 32546 16.0 Leeds Metropolitan University 31223 32830 32240 4.9 The University of Leeds 29023 34708 33020 16.4 The University of Leicester 27680 36376 33762 23.9 The University of Lincoln 28489 30826 30011 7.6 Liverpool Hope 29328 29639 29499 1.1 Liverpool John Moores University 29776 32345 31485 7.9 The University of Liverpool 27886 35313 33005 21.0 University of London (Institutes and activities) 31608 37821 34743 16.4 The London Institute 33839 35550 34887 4.8 London School of Economics and Political Science 32077 38938 36999 17.6 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 32605 41534 36897 21.5 Loughborough University 28733 33317 32302 13.8 University of Luton 26518 30918 29018 14.2 University of Manchester 27831 35730 32917 22.1 The University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology 26712 32616 31393 18.1 The Manchester Metropolitan University 29843 32402 31434 7.9 Middlesex University 30286 34092 32466 11.2 The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 28351 36327 33861 22.0 University College Northampton 29313 31489 30687 6.9 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle 30248 31901 31240 5.2 The Nottingham Trent University 30238 34665 33226 12.8 The University of Nottingham 27755 33841 31860 18.0 The Open University 33201 35633 34604 6.8 Oxford Brookes University 32543 35854 34462 9.2 The University of Oxford 26256 31332 29682 16.2 The University of Plymouth 28687 33895 32164 15.4 The University of Portsmouth 29758 33811 32558 12.0 Queen Mary and Westfield College 29407 35031 33060 16.1 The University of Reading 26284 33313 31098 21.1 University of Surrey, Roehampton 31631 34725 33121 8.9 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 30481 35737 33913 14.7 The Royal Veterinary College 29790 38013 34595 21.6 St George's Hospital Medical School 25381 43656 34504 41.9 St Martin's College 30469 32435 31420 6.1 The University of Salford 31195 33757 32870 7.6 The School of Oriental and African Studies 27833 33132 31467 16.0 Sheffield Hallam University 29115 31992 31008 9.0 The University of Sheffield 28509 34475 32544 17.3 South Bank University 34176 35704 35063 4.3 Southampton Institute 32720 34966 34403 6.4 The University of Southampton 28018 34017 32115 17.6 Staffordshire University 27985 31089 30003 10.0 The University of Sunderland 28633 31921 30819 10.3 The University of Surrey 29337 33245 31955 11.8 The University of Sussex 27967 32328 31011 13.5 The University of Teesside 30136 31901 31184 5.5 AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 5

Thames Valley University 34120 35979 35067 5.2 University College London 30750 39807 36478 22.8 The University of Warwick 28963 34929 33097 17.1 University of the West of England, Bristol 31677 34017 33089 6.9 The University of Westminster 33970 36540 35679 7.0 The University of Wolverhampton 29047 32141 30831 9.6 University College Worcester 29689 32631 31235 9.0 Writtle College 23820 30873 28175 22.8 York St John College 30993 31802 31448 2.5 The University of York 27403 32079 30643 14.6 Note: HEIs with fewer than 50 full-time women and 50 full-time men were excluded Source: Average salary data provided by HESA; percentage calculations by AUT 3 Pay gap at higher education institutions in Scotland In 2001-2 there was a range of pay differences between full-time male and female academics at individual institutions in Scotland. At one end of the scale, the average pay for women was 25% lower than for men at the University of Aberdeen, while at Bell College, women earned 0.6% more than their male colleagues (Table 3). Table 3 Gender pay gap in higher education institutions in Scotland 2001-2 Average salary 2001-2 Higher education institution Female Male Total Pay gap % The University of Aberdeen 26468 35250 31906 24.9 University of Abertay Dundee 29216 33171 31816 11.9 Bell College 28227 28061 28127-0.6 The University of Dundee 27631 35137 32394 21.4 The University of Edinburgh 28185 36376 33723 22.5 Glasgow Caledonian University 31650 34595 33312 8.5 The University of Glasgow 29660 37916 35023 21.8 Heriot-Watt University 26930 33290 32177 19.1 Napier University 30852 32804 32090 5.9 The University of Paisley 31027 34294 33077 9.5 Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh 31673 33189 32317 4.6 The Robert Gordon University 29827 32083 31162 7.0 The University of St Andrews 26213 33520 31844 21.8 Scottish Agricultural College 24183 30129 28468 19.7 The University of Stirling 30442 34038 32756 10.6 The University of Strathclyde 29118 34051 32742 14.5 Note: HEIs with fewer than 50 full-time women and 50 full-time men were excluded Source: Average salary data provided by HESA; percentage calculations by AUT AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 6

4 Pay gap at higher education institutions in Wales In 2001-2 there was a range of pay differences between full-time male and female academics at individual institutions in Wales. At one end of the scale, the average pay for women was 33% lower than for men at the University of Wales College of Medicine, while at the North-East Wales Institute of Higher Education women earned just 1.2% less than their male colleagues (Table 4). Table 4 Gender pay gap in higher education institutions in Wales 2001-2 Average salary 2001-2 Higher education institution Female Male Total Pay gap % University of Wales, Aberystwyth 25970 31559 30056 17.7 University of Wales, Bangor 26942 33047 30939 18.5 Cardiff University 26465 33607 31424 21.3 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff 29545 32163 31232 8.1 University of Glamorgan 29625 32232 31458 8.1 University of Wales College of Medicine 28558 42861 36284 33.4 The North-East Wales Institute of Higher Education 31395 31764 31643 1.2 University of Wales, Swansea 26744 33354 31568 19.8 Note: HEIs with fewer than 50 full-time women and 50 full-time men were excluded Source: Average salary data provided by HESA; percentage calculations by AUT 5 Pay gap at higher education institutions in Northern Ireland In 2001-2 the average pay for women was 19% lower than for men at the Queen s University of Belfast, while at the University of Ulster women earned 15% less than their male colleagues (Table 5). Table 5 Gender pay gap in higher education institutions in Northern Ireland 2001-2 Average salary 2001-2 Higher education institution Female Male Total Pay gap % The Queen's University of Belfast 29115 35818 33622 18.7 University of Ulster 29116 34436 32583 15.4 Note: HEIs with fewer than 50 full-time women and 50 full-time men were excluded Source: Average salary data provided by HESA; percentage calculations by AUT AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 7

6 Job grades and gender Women academics in UK higher education are over-represented in lower graded jobs and under-represented in the higher grades. This pattern, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission, is one of the main factors for pay gaps. 3 In universities established in England and Wales after 1992, nearly half of those employed full-time on the most junior grade of lecturer were women, compared with just over one quarter of those employed as heads of department (Table 6). Table 6 Job grades and gender 2001-2, post-92 academics Female Male Lecturer 47.3% 52.7% Senior lecturer 40.3% 59.7% Principal lecturer 30.5% 69.5% Head of department 27.2% 72.8% For researchers in post-92 institutions, 57% of those employed full-time on the more junior Researcher A grade were women, compared with 43% on the more senior Researcher B grade (Table 7). Table 7 Job grades and gender 2001-2, post-92 researchers Female Male Researcher A 56.5% 43.5% Researcher B 42.5% 57.5% Similarly in higher education institutions in the UK established before 1992, the proportion of women employed on a grade decreases with the seniority of the grade. Nearly half of those employed full-time on the most junior grade, Lecturer A, were women, compared with only 12% of professors (Table 8). AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 8

Table 8 Job grades and gender 2001-2, pre-92 academics Female Male Lecturer A 42.8% 57.2% Lecturer B 35.0% 65.0% Senior lecturer 22.3% 77.7% Professor 12.2% 87.8% For researchers in pre-92 institutions, there is a similar pattern. While more than half of those employed full-time on the most junior grade, IB, were women, only 21% of those on the most senior grade, IV, were women (Table 9). Table 9 Job grades and gender 2001-2, pre-92 researchers Female Male Research grade IB 52.5% 47.5% Research grade IA 40.0% 60.0% Research grade II 34.1% 65.9% Research grade III 28.3% 71.7% Research grade IV 21.2% 78.8% Among clinical academics, 35% of full-time lecturers were women, compared with 10% of professors (Table 10). Table 10 Job grades and gender 2001-2, clinical academics Female Male Clinical lecturer 35.0% 65.0% Clinical senior lecturer 20.6% 79.4% Clinical professor 9.8% 90.2% AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 9

7 Salary points and gender Even within job grades, women academics tend to be over-represented on the lower salary points and under-represented on the highest points. For example, of those employed full-time on the lecturer A grade in pre-92 institutions in 2001-2, more than half of those on the lowest salary point - point 7 - were women, compared with just over one-third on the highest point, point 11 (Table 11). Table 11 Pre-92 Lecturer A grade, salary points 2001-2 Women Men Salary point % % 7 8 9 10 11 Grand Total 51.5 48.5 44.7 55.3 41.1 58.9 46.7 53.3 36.9 63.1 42.8 57.2 Where there are discretionary points at the top of a job grade, the proportion of women on each salary point is particularly low. For example, in 2001-2, in the senior lecturer grade in pre-92 institutions (Table 12: salary points start at point 20), around one-quarter of full-time academics on the main scale points (points 20-24) were women. That proportion dropped to around 15% on the discretionary points (points 25-27 shown in italics). 4 Table 12 Pre-92 Senior Lecturer grade, salary points 2001-2 (discretionary points shown in italics) Salary point Women Men % % 20 24.9 75.1 21 28.9 71.1 22 25.9 74.1 23 27.9 72.1 24 20.2 79.8 25 18.4 81.6 26 15.4 84.6 27 14.4 85.6 AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 10

Where discretionary points form part of a grade it should be open to all staff on that grade to apply for them. The criteria for qualifying for discretionary pay should be transparent and objective to minimise the risk of discrimination. The AUT are pressing for the publication of such criteria and for procedures for accessing discretionary pay points. Use of discretionary points should form part of any equal pay monitoring. 8 Conclusion There may be a number of reasons for gender pay gaps, but a number of employers that have carried out audits have found that the greatest differences in pay for men and women occur from differences in starting salaries. 5 In higher education, the point on which staff are placed within a grade on appointment also has a knock-on effect on their promotion prospects. Pay scales with a large number of service-related pay points have also been found to be a source of gender pay discrimination, because women are less likely to reach the top of those scales due to breaks in service. 6 Long pay scales also allow for greater discretion as to the starting salaries of staff. Occupational segregation, also identified as a factor contributing to the gender pay gap, may occur to some extent within HEIs. Since August 2003 the Higher Education Funding Council for England has made available funds for HEIs to use as recruitment incentives (known as golden hellos ) for teaching staff. These funds are only available for recruitment to six selected shortage subject areas that have been identified as currently suffering the most difficulties in recruitment or retention. These shortage subject areas include computing, business, mathematics, engineering and clinical medicine and dentistry. These are all areas in which men dominate in numerical terms. 7 The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) launched an equal pay campaign - It s time to get even - on 1 January 2004. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the gender pay gap among employees and employers, and to encourage organisations to take steps to tackle unequal pay. The EOC recommends that organisations carry out equal pay reviews that compare the pay of men and women across the organisation, explain any pay gaps and take steps to close those gaps that cannot be satisfactorily explained on grounds other than sex. The Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) published guidance for HEIs in March 2002 on Equal Pay Reviews. 8 The guidance deals with the analysis and diagnosis of equal pay issues and with the actions - arising from these analytical and diagnostic reviews - that need to be taken to eliminate any pay gaps. Despite this guidance, the majority of HEIs have not carried out equal pay reviews to date. AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 11

The AUT believes that policies such as increased pay differentiation and market supplements, and the general trend towards giving institutions more local pay discretion, will worsen the already scandalous pay discrimination in higher education. The current Framework proposals from the employers seek to lengthen pay grades, increase the use of discretionary salary points and allow for greater use of market supplements. These proposals will work against any attempts to address the issue of equal pay in higher education. The AUT is arguing for shorter pay scales, a robust and transparent grading structure, transparent and accessible criteria for progression and promotion and, at the very least, safeguards for the use of discretionary points and market supplements. AUT research February 2004 Endnotes 1 In this paper the average pay data was provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency from its individualised staff record for 2001-2 (the most recent year for which HESA data were available at the time of writing). Percentage calculations were by the Association of University Teachers. HESA does not accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties. 2 New Earnings Survey 2003 3 Equal pay task force set up by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) which produced a report Just Pay in 2001 identified three main factors contributing to the gender gap: discrimination in pay systems, the unequal impact of family caring responsibilities and occupational segregation.see http://www.eoc.org.uk/cseng/policyandcampaigns/just%20pay%20report.pdf 4 Discretionary pay points are a form of performance related pay awarded to employees at the manager s discretion 5 IDS report 897 January 2004 page 11 6 IDS report 897 January 2004 page 11 7 HESA Individualised Staff Record 2001-02 for full time staff 8 Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff: Equal Pay Reviews: Guidance for Higher Education Institutions. See http://www.ucea.ac.uk/report_equal_pay_guidance.htm AUT 2004 UK HE gender pay gap 2001-2 12