MHRA gender pay gap report: 2017 to 2018
Updated 5 January 2023
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1. Agency gender pay gap report: April 2017 to March 2018
Snapshot date: 31 March 2018
1.1 Definitions
Mean Gender Pay Gap in Hourly Pay
The difference between the mean* hourly rate of pay of males and females, where hourly pay includes basic pay, bonuses, and allowances. *average pay for all male and female employees
Median Gender Pay Gap in Hourly Pay
The difference between the median* hourly rate of pay of males and females *middle rate of pay (when listed in order) for all males and female employees
Mean Gender Pay Gap in Bonus Pay
The difference between the mean* bonus paid to males and females where bonus refers to a variety of bonus payments (see Point 4 below) *average bonus for all male and female employees
Median Gender Pay Gap in Bonus Pay
The difference between the median bonus pay paid to males and females *middle value of bonuses paid to all males compared to all female employees
Bonus proportions
The proportions of males and females who were paid a bonus
Quartile bands
The proportions of male and female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle, and upper quartile pay bands
1.2 Gender pay gap data
The gender pay gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in a workforce.
The Agency supports the fair treatment and reward of all staff irrespective of gender. Our pay approach is based on the principles of consistency, fairness and transparency.
This report fulfils our reporting requirements in providing an analysis of data and sets out what we are doing to close the gender pay gap in the Agency. We have not included contingent workers and contractors, but we intend to review information for this group in the future.
The information in this report is extracted from payroll data as at 31 March 2018 where 58% of the Agency workforce were female and 42% were male.
| Data summary | % |
|---|---|
| 1. Mean gender pay gap in hourly pay | 10.6 |
| 2. Median gender pay gap in hourly pay | 5.5 |
| 3. Mean gender pay gap in bonus pay in the 12 months ending 31 March | 22.4 |
| 4. Median gender pay gap in bonus pay in the 12 months ending 31 March | 25.4 |
| 5.The proportion of male employees paid a bonus in the 12 months ending 31 March | 27.2 |
| 6.The proportion of female employees paid a bonus in the 12 months ending 31 March | 30.2 |
The data summary is the overall Agency picture using ‘raw’ data from the payroll system and is made up of an average of basic pay, bonuses, and allowances. Sections 3 and 4 below, offers more analysis and explanation of the data that underpins this summary.
Proportion of male and female employees in each quartile (basic pay):
| Quartile | Proportion of male employees at the Agency | Male % | Proportion of female employees at the Agency | Female % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First (lower) quartile | 527 | 38.9 | 827 | 61.1 |
| Second quartile (lower middle) | 519 | 38.3 | 835 | 61.7 |
| Third quartile (middle upper) | 571 | 42.2 | 783 | 57.8 |
| Fourth quartile (upper) | 669 | 49.4 | 685 | 50.6 |
1.3 Further Analysis
The number of male and female employees at each grade/basic hourly pay:
| Grade | Female | Male | Female Mean Hrly Rate | Male Mean Hrly Rate | % Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA/AO | 37 | 27 | £11.84 | £11.43 | -3% |
| EO | 132 | 85 | £15.21 | £13.99 | -8% |
| HEO | 144 | 73 | £17.59 | £17.99 | 2% |
| SEO | 170 | 130 | £22.25 | £20.79 | -7% |
| Grade 7 | 146 | 101 | £28.84 | £27.76 | -4% |
| Grade 6 | 87 | 75 | £39.27 | £36.57 | -7% |
| SCS | 68 | 79 | £49.93 | £48.11 | -4% |
| All employees | 784 | 570 | £25.28 | £26.07 | 3% |
Whilst the data above does not appear to align with the mean gender pay gap in terms of hourly pay as reported above, this is an analysis of basic pay only and does not include bonuses and allowances. It is noted that the span of salaries within the SCS 1-3 bands is significantly broader than within the delegated grade pay bands and therefore averaging is influenced by this.
In the delegated grades, there are proportionately more females in the lower grades, and this will contribute to the pay gap. It is also useful to note, (as highlighted in the report for 2016-17), that data analysis of new starters over the previous 5 years does not show a similar pay gap and, on this basis, it would appear the pay gap in the main relates to employees who joined the Agency or our legacy organisations more than 5 years ago.
It is worthwhile highlighting that this is fairly consistent within the wider Civil Service but does indicate that this is an issue for the Agency to continue to monitor.
1.4 Bonus Pay
Bonus pay includes all end of year performance-related bonuses, special bonuses paid to delegated grade employees, and the in-year bonuses for the SCS.
Bonuses were paid to 391 employees:
- 236 females (30% female staff received a bonus)
- 155 males (27% male staff received a bonus)
The average bonus payment was £1958.
The mean bonus for male employees was £2394 compared to £1672 for female employees; reflecting a more even gender split in higher grades, but a greater proportion of females in lower grades. The median bonus for males was £1340 compared to £1000 for females.
For end of year performance related bonuses, an equal proportion of delegated grade male and female employees received the top 25% bonus, but for employees in the SCS grades, 32% of males and 20% of females received the top 25% bonus. 11% of females in the SCS received the in-year bonus compared to 5.5% of males.
For special bonuses awarded to delegated grade employees, 9% of females received a special bonus compared to 6.5% of males.
The proportion of SCS males who received the end of year performance-related bonus has outweighed the fact that a higher proportion of females have received the special bonus for delegated grades and the in-year bonus for SCS
1.5 Targeted action to reduce the pay gap
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Continuing to review our recruitment policies and processes to ensure this drives fairness and equality, and that all new starters are recruited in line with Agency/CS pay policy and any flexibility requiring a business case approved by Human Resources/the Agency Pay Committee.
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Monitoring of the mandatory requirement for all staff to undertake unconscious bias training and recruitment training for managers covering recruitment principles and selection techniques.
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Active support for women returning to work following maternity or adoption leave. The Agency offers shared parental leave, job share or part time opportunities, as well as the possibility of some home working for appropriate roles. We have refreshed our policies to support line managers with discussing flexible working options with their staff.
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Continued focus on improving representation of female participants on talent schemes: promotion of the Civil Service Positive Action Pathway 12-month programme; further development of the Agency’s coaching and mentoring network; and completion of the Agency’s Career Pathways project.
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Continued analysis and opportunity for challenge and action at Executive Team level in relation to the profile of staff awarded bonuses i.e. delegated-grade special bonuses and reward vouchers, and SCS in-year bonuses.