Defra’s gender pay gap report 2021 to 2022
Published 24 November 2022
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Executive summary
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our food and farming industry and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people’s day-to-day lives, developing policies and services that impact people across the UK and beyond.
We are committed to being an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation, where every individual has equality of opportunity to progress and is able to thrive. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2020 to 2024 reaffirms this commitment.
As an organisation, we are accountable and open to challenge and scrutiny. Our gender pay gap reporting considers how well we achieve gender equality in our pay structures. This report provides gender pay gap information for the year ending 31 March 2022, with comparable information since 2017.
It is encouraging that both our mean (5.6%) and median (6.6%) gender pay gaps have reduced this year (reduction of 1.1% mean, 0.2% median). The continuous reduction in our gender pay gap since 2017 demonstrates a consistent commitment to improving the experience of people within Defra Group and the wider Civil Service.
Our cross-Defra Group Gender Board works collaboratively across Defra organisations to address gender equality. We have continued work to ensure women feel safe inside the workplace and when they travel for work, in addition to raising awareness of issues around women’s health. Removing barriers to discussing important issues means they are better understood by all and can positively impact the everyday lived experiences of women in Defra.
Our commitment to close the gender pay gap speaks to a broader agenda of inclusion and we look forward to further progressing this goal as part of an ambitious strategy to achieve equality in the workplace.
David Hill
Defra Group Gender Champion, Director General Environment, Rural and Marine
Introduction
Gender pay gap legislation, introduced in April 2017, requires all employers of 250 or more employees to publish their gender pay gap annually for workers in scope as of 31 March.
The gender pay gap is the difference in the average pay between all men and women in the organisation. It is different to equal pay, which is about the difference in the actual earnings of men and women doing equal work (or work of equal value).
The mean gender pay gap is the difference between the mean hourly rate of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The median gender pay gap is the difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The bonus pay gap measures payments to reward performance that are as part of the annual pay award (as a proportion of basic pay) or throughout the year as either cash or gift vouchers. The mean bonus value is found by adding all bonus values together and dividing the total by how many people were paid. The median is the middle value if all bonuses were stacked from lowest to highest. It’s important to note some bonus payments such as end of year performance awards are pro-rated for part time workers which can influence bonus pay gaps.
Full-pay relevant employee’ means a relevant employee who is not, during the relevant pay period, being paid at a reduced rate or nil as a result of the employee being on leave, The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. Throughout this report, references to employees or gender profile includes full-pay relevant employees only.
The ‘relevant pay period’, in relation to the relevant employee, means (a) the period in respect of which the relevant employer pays the employee basic pay, whether weekly, fortnightly, or monthly or any other period, or (b) if the relevant employer does not pay the employee basic pay, the period in respect of which the employer most frequently pays the employee one of the elements of ordinary pay mentioned in regulation 3(1) (b) to (e), The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.
Defra Civil Service pay gap reporting includes the core government department and its executive agencies; Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). All references to Defra in this paper refer to Defra and its executive agencies.
Defra gender pay gap summary
Hourly gender pay gaps
- mean gender pay gap: 5.6%
- median gender pay gap: 6.6%
Bonus pay gap
- mean bonus pay gap:7.6%
- median bonus pay gap: 1.4%
Proportions of men and women receiving bonuses
- men:71%
- women:70%
Pay by quartiles
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 39% | 61% |
| Lower middle quartile | 42% | 58% |
| Upper middle quartile | 45% | 55% |
| Upper quartile | 49% | 51% |
- 56% of Defra’s workforce are women
- 46% of Defra’s Senior civil servants are women.
Defra’s gender profile
Our percentage of female staff (gender profile), at 56%, has remained stable when compared to previous years. It also continues to be higher than the Civil Service average of being 54% female. The percentage of women within Defra’s Senior Civil Service is at 46%, the overall Civil Service female Senior Civil Service (SCS) representation is at 47%.
Overall, there are more women than men at all grades in Defra with the exception of Grade 6 and SCS levels where men outnumber women in terms of headcount. Female representation at SCS has reduced from 50% in the previous reporting period to 46% in this reporting period. Last year there were 99 women in SCS positions in 2021, this year there are 96 women in SCS positions as at 31 March 2022.
Defra uses Civil Service grades ranging from Administrative Assistants (administrative level grade) to Senior Civil Servant (executive level grade). Grades vary according to the level of responsibility and each grade has a set pay range.
The following table shows the distribution of female and male staff by grade from junior to senior roles in Defra.
Table 1: Defra’s workforce split by grade and gender
| Grade (Increasing in seniority) | Number of women (Women as % of workforce at this grade) | Number of men (Men as % of workforce at this grade) |
|---|---|---|
| AA/AO | 1508 (62%) | 921 (38%) |
| EO | 1364 (59%) | 936 (40%) |
| HEO | 1410 (55%) | 1143 (45%) |
| SEO | 1435 (57%) | 1095 (43%) |
| G7 | 1028 (51%) | 993 (49%) |
| G6 | 318 (50%) | 332 (50%) |
| SCS | 96 (46%) | 110 (54%) |
| Grand Total | 7172 (56%) | 5541 (44%) |
*(figures include unknown grades and rounding applied)
In comparison, the following table shows the overall representation of women at each grade in the Civil Service taken from the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Dashboard, 2022
Table 2: Representation of women in the Civil Service
| Women at each grade in the Civil Service | % Representation |
|---|---|
| AA/AO | 65.8% |
| EO | 57% |
| HEO/SEO | 51.4% |
| G6 & G7 | 48.8% |
| SCS | 47.2% |
| Women in the Civil Service overall | 54.2% (2021) |
Defra’s gender pay gap over time
Table 3: Defra Civil Service mean and median pay gaps (2017-22)
| Defra Civil Service | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | % difference from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean gender pay gap | 11.5 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 5.6 | 1.1 |
| Median gender pay gap | 12.1 | 11.7 | 9.4 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 0.2 |
Table 4: Defra Civil Service bonus pay gaps (2017 to 22)
| Bonus pay gap | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | % Difference from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean gender pay gap - bonus pay in 12 months ending 31 March | 20.6 | 10 | 11.6 | 12.3 | 10.6 | 7.6 | 3 |
| Median gender pay gap - bonus pay in 12 months ending 31 March | 16.7 | 19 | 14.2 | 20 | 0 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Proportion of male employees paid a bonus in 12 months ending 31 March | 47 | 39 | 49 | 57 | 67 | 70.8 | 3.8 |
| Proportion of female employees paid a bonus in 12 months ending 31 March | 45 | 35 | 47 | 58 | 67 | 70.3 | 3.3 |
Analysis of gender pay gap data
Defra’s mean (5.76%) and median (6.6%) gender pay gaps have decreased since last year, with an overall 5.9% and 5.5% reduction since 2017. Although our pay gaps show that men continue to be paid more than women, our pay gaps have considerably narrowed.
Defra’s performance awards are paid as a set value depending on grade and performance level, irrespective of gender. In comparison to the previous year, broadly the same proportions of men and women have received bonuses with 70.8% of bonuses paid to men and 70.3% of bonuses paid to women.
The mean bonus gap has decreased by 3% reducing from 10.6% to 7.6%, however, the median bonus value has slightly increased this year to 1.4%. This increase follows a significant drop in the mean bonus value from the previous year (2020-21) which saw a reduction from 20% to 0%. This was due to increases in the number of Defra employees (Executive Agency) receiving bonus payments which resulted in an overall reduction of the median bonus pay gap value for Defra Civil Service organisations included within this report.
Bonus pay gap calculations are based on individual employee bonuses and do not differentiate between the bonuses of employees working full-time or part-time. Women make up 56% of Defra’s workforce. Across the organisation 3% of men work part time in contrast to 14% of women who work part-time hours. Bonuses are pro-rated for staff who worked part-time which lowers the average bonus pay for part time women. As a greater proportion of women work part-time, more women received pro-rated bonuses thus impacting the bonus pay gap.
Analysis shows that the main reason for the remaining pay gap continues to be the proportion of male and female employees in different grades. However, representation of women in the higher quartiles is increasing.
Table 5: Proportions of men and women in each pay quartile 2017-2022
| Pay by quartiles | 2017% (M) | 2017% (F) | 2018% (M) | 2018% (F) | 2019% (M) | 2019% (F) | 2020% (M) | 2020% (F) | 2021% (M) | 2021% (F) | 2022% (M) | 2022% (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 36 | 64 | 36 | 64 | 37 | 63 | 38 | 62 | 37 | 63 | 39 | 61 |
| Lower middle | 43 | 57 | 43 | 57 | 43 | 57 | 43 | 57 | 44 | 56 | 42 | 58 |
| Upper middle | 50 | 50 | 47 | 53 | 46 | 54 | 45 | 55 | 45 | 55 | 45 | 55 |
| Upper quartile | 57 | 43 | 55 | 45 | 52 | 48 | 51 | 49 | 50 | 50 | 49 | 51 |
Defra aspires alongside other Civil Service organisations to be the most inclusive employer in the UK. We are working to close our gender pay gap by delivering a number of initiatives through our Defra group Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and through the cross Defra Group Gender Board. The Gender Board includes a specific working group developing targeted actions to address the pay gap.
Taking action to close the gender pay gap
Defra aspires alongside other Civil Service organisations to be the most inclusive employer in the UK. We are working to close our gender pay gap by delivering a number of initiatives through our Defra group Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and through the cross Defra Group Gender Board. The Gender Board includes a specific working group developing targeted actions to address the pay gap.
The Gender Board is chaired by an Executive Committee Champion and feeds into an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programme Board which has oversight of ongoing work to improve equality, promote collaborative working and remove barriers to progress.
We offer a broad range of staff diversity networks which support women, returning from maternity or adoption leave- support and guidance is available through our gender, solo parents or work-life balance networks. We have also created a greater focus on increasing understanding and the benefits of job sharing.
We actively listen to and amplify our employee voice through our diversity networks and by providing listening circles experiences. For example, we have reviewed and amended our internal personal safety and travel policies, encouraging and empowering women to make decisions that puts them and their safety foremost.
At Defra we have continued our work to normalise conversations around women’s health, building on increasing awareness of the menopause. We have introduced guidance and discussion toolkits on menstruation in addition other women’s health matters. This has allowed the flow of more informed conversations that precede workplace adjustments and feed into everyday inclusion discussions. Our employee passport is available to everyone to benefit from.
We monitor recruitment data throughout the attraction, recruitment and selection processes and make use of diverse interview panels to achieve greater diversity throughout our workforce.
Declaration
We confirm that data reported by Defra is accurate and has been calculated according to the requirements and methodology set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.
Tamara Finkelstein
Defra Group Permanent Secretary