MHRA gender pay gap report: 2016 to 2017
Updated 5 January 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhra-gender-pay-gap-report/mhra-gender-pay-gap-report-2016-to-2017
0.1 Gender pay gap report
Snapshot date: 31 March 2017
| Data type | % |
|---|---|
| 1. Mean gender pay gap - Ordinary pay | 10.5 |
| 2. Median gender pay gap - Ordinary pay | 9.4 |
| 3. Mean gender pay gap - Bonus pay in the 12 months ending 31 March | 23.1 |
| 4. Median gender pay gap - Bonus pay in the 12 months ending 31 March | 25 |
| 5.The proportion of male and female employees paid a bonus in the 12 months ending 31 March (Male) | 26.6 |
| 5.The proportion of male and female employees paid a bonus in the 12 months ending 31 March (Female) | 29.9 |
Proportion of male and female employees in each quartile.
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| First (lower) quartile | 63.4 | 36.6 |
| Second quartile | 63.9 | 36.1 |
| Third quartile | 59.3 | 40.7 |
| Fourth (upper) quartile | 50.2 | 49.8 |
In the report above points 1 – 5 show the percentage that men receive more than women.
0.2 Further Analysis – Ordinary pay
The report above shows that on average men earn c10% more pay per hour than women. As the requirement to carry out this report has only been implemented this year, we are unable to benchmark in the way we will hopefully be able to in the future. However, it has been suggested that the UK’s national pay gap is 18% and 13% across the Civil Service.
Whilst further analysis is required and will be undertaken, initial analysis by grade indicates the following:
| Grade | Female | Male | Female Mean Hrly Rate | Male Mean Hrly Rate | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 2 | 5 | £10.25 | £10.42 | 2% |
| AO | 39 | 19 | £11.96 | £12.18 | 2% |
| EO | 148 | 80 | £14.16 | £14.33 | 1% |
| HEO | 116 | 71 | £16.77 | £16.99 | 1% |
| SEO | 166 | 115 | £20.98 | £20.86 | -1% |
| Grade 7 | 121 | 101 | £27.38 | £27.67 | 1% |
| Grade 6 | 86 | 74 | £35.27 | £35.96 | 2% |
| SCS | 65 | 73 | £44.06 | £46.31 | 5% |
| All employees | 743 | 538 | £23.18 | £25.78 | 10% |
There is between -1% and 5 % difference in mean pay rates within each pay band at MHRA. However, there are more men in higher pay bands than women and therefore more men on a higher salary than women. This is reflected in the 10% pay gap.
In addition to this grade difference, high level data analysis of new starters for the last 5 years does not show a similar pay gap, and in fact there is a slight difference in favour of women. On this basis it would appear the pay gap mainly relates to staff employed more than 5 year ago by the Agency or legacy organisations.
0.3 Further Analysis – Bonus Pay
The report also shows men are awarded around 23% more in bonuses per year than women, even though a higher percentage of women were paid a bonus compared to men.
Breaking this down further, the mean bonus for men is £690.45 compared to £532.70 for women. The median bonus for men is £1,220 compared to £915 for women.
These one-off non-consolidated bonuses, which are awarded for exceptional performance need further analysis in order to ascertain whether there is an imbalance and then how to address it.
0.4 Action plan to reduce the pay gap:
The Agency and the senior leadership team are committed to analysing and improving our gender pay gap through focused action we are looking at many initiatives, these include:
Further analysis of gender pay data to understand where any additional targeted action needs to focus
- All new starters continuing to be recruited in line with Agency pay policy and any flexibility requiring a business case related to the role and approval by Human Resources/the Agency Pay Committee. Clearer guidance on the circumstances in which flexibility may be considered and a requirement for an Equality Impact Assessment.
- Continued analysis and opportunity for challenge and action in relation to the profile of staff considered for bonuses. Review of the Special Bonus scheme with a view to reducing the range of payment sums available at the discretion of managers. Involvement of senior leaders and Human Resources in approval processes.
- Review of talent and learning initiatives to ensure that positive action is taken to attract and encourage women to apply for senior roles and to provide opportunity for related development. Access to the Civil Service Positive Action development opportunities. Further development of the Agency’s coaching and mentoring networks. Completion of the Agency’s career pathways work.
- Active support for women returning to work following maternity or adoption leave. We offer shared parental leave, job share or part time opportunities as well as the possibility of some home working for appropriate roles and have refreshed our policies to support line managers with discussing options with their staff. We have also recently launched an Agency Parents’ Network.
- Monitoring and related action in terms of the mandatory requirement for all staff to undertake unconscious bias training and roll out of a programme of recruitment training covering recruitment principles and selection techniques.
- Including gender equality within our established Equality & Diversity Group action plan and related reporting to the Corporate Executive Team and Board.