The phrase “gender pay gap” gets thrown around a lot in the media, but what does it mean? And how does it affect doctors working in the NHS?
The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay; equal pay refers to men and women who are doing the same job being paid the same amount. This has been a legal requirement in the UK since 1970. While it has been a legal requirement studies have shown that four in ten people still do not know that women have a right to equal pay for work. There should not be a disparity between men and women working the same jobs. If this is the case contact your HR, threaten with legal action, lawyer up because that is ILLEGAL.
In April 2018, the UK Government made it a legal requirement for companies with more than 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap data every year. This includes companies in public, private and voluntary sectors and any bonuses staff receive. At the moment, there is no consequence for companies with wide gender pay gaps - having a gender pay gap in your company is not illegal.
What is the gender pay gap?
The gender pay gap is the percentage difference between average hourly earnings for men compared to women. The current gender pay gap average in the UK is 17.3%; a figure that has barely changed in the last three years. This figure means that the average hourly earnings of all female employees is 17.3% less than the average hourly earnings of all male employees. Further findings have shown that almost 90% of women are still working for companies that pay them less than male colleagues (Financial Times) and the main explanation of this (as employers can offer explanations) is that there are significantly more men in senior roles compared to women.
Figure 1: table from the financial times depicting the current 2020 public sector gender pay gap
Why is there a gender pay gap?
There are many theories being tossed around to explain away the concept of the gender pay gap such as unequal caring responsibilities (resulting in more women working part time), a divided labour market, and men in the most senior roles. In my opinion explaining away the gender pay gap seems remarkably like getting defensive about short-changing someone.
There is no excuse for it.
The crux of the matter is that discrimination is still rife in our workplace; women, LGBTQ+, BAME, and people with disabilities are disproportionately neglected from top paying jobs.
Discrimination against working women can be seen in nearly all sectors; women make up the majority of those earning less than a living wage (62%). This means that one third of all working women in the UK do not earn a wage they can live on. In itself this statistic is alarming, but it also highlights the discriminatory cause of the gender pay gap. The living wage – to clarify – is not the same as the legal minimum wage. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has found that one in nine new mothers were either dismissed, made redundant or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job.
How does this affect women working in the NHS?
The overall NHS gender pay gap is 23%; a statistic that is astonishingly higher than the average gender pay gap in the UK. Let me remind you that the current national average is 17%...
The gender pay gap for doctors alone also stands at 17%, this statistic gets worse when you look at specific medical specialties such as general practice which has a gender pay gap of 33%. What makes this statistic even more frustrating (as if you're not already tearing your hair out) is that two years ago this statistic was 15%. At a glance it seems that medicine is regressing further away from gender equality.
A recent article in the Medicine review showed that within the NHS, two in three consultants are men. With there being nearly 32,000 male consultants compared to 18,000 female consultants it comes as no surprise that this gender pay gap exists within NHS doctors. This disparity is despite the fact that more women start training compared to men. It is clear that women doing well at medical school is not translating into senior leadership positions.
Gosh, does this mean as a woman I will not become a consultant?
These statistics can leave you feeling somewhat overwhelmed and helpless, it might be easy to convince yourself that as a woman, you will never be given the opportunity of higher pay and leadership. But the situation can be seemingly less bleak. There is always something to be done, to curb inequality. More and more people are becoming aware of the need for diversity and the lack of equality in companies such as the NHS.
With awareness comes change.
Leadership is attainable, and not at the expense of a family. Women’s potential to lead and strive in senior positions is a resource the NHS desperately needs to tap in to. Expanding the talent pool in which the NHS employs senior doctors and leaders will have a positive effect that can ripple throughout the NHS. Women have proven time and time again that they are capable of leading. In fact, many studies have proven this as well. The NHS Leadership Academy 360 Feedback, a project aimed at highlighting leadership domains and improving leadership within companies, ranked women higher than men on all domains. The Harvard Business Review ranked women higher in 12/16 leadership competencies. The current mindset is that women can lead and we deserve to lead. It is now about changing inherently biased employability structures to enable leadership.
So how can we encourage change?
It is clear that the consequences of the gender pay gap need to be addressed at a systematic, organisational as well as an individual level. This is not just a “woman’s issue”, this is a national issue.
One of the NHS’s plan to close this gap is to instil a culture of respect, equality, and diversity within their workforce implementation plan. This is kind narrative, one which can only be obtained by current employees and leaders taking on board this culture.
Equal Pay Day (20th November 2020): this is a symbolic day dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap. This is the day of the year where women stop earning in relation to men. On this day companies and individuals have the opportunity to unite as one voice and ask for change. Encourage the organisations such as the NHS to pay a real living wage, create policies to boost female leaders and diversify their senior positions.
Ignorance is not Bliss: At an individual level, don’t ignore the gap! Question it, as a woman and as allies, talk about issues such as salary scales, normalise negotiating salaries, encourage leadership in women! Companies can appoint diversity managers to put pressure on managers and develop equality action plans.
Improving workplace flexibility: Medicine is notorious for poor working hours and a lack of understanding for the need for flexibility. That mentality is changing - FY1 positions now offer part-time Junior doctor programmes encouraging flexibility and ensuring more doctors can manage work and family life. Reduce part-time penalties for employees, allow people to work flexibly where possible and encourage a strong family and work life balance without the need to halt career progression consequently. “Maternity Penalty” should be a thing of the past - the gender pay gap widens considerably after women have children. A flexible schedule or a leadership position should not be juxtaposed against one another, both should be available to all staff within the NHS. Fawcett a company which is at the forefront of campaigning for gender equality in the workplace have asked employers to advertise all jobs as flexible, part-time or a job share unless there is a strong business case not to. Encourage men to work flexibly, so that it is not seen as a only female benefit.
Curb Pay Secrecy: It is seen as a relatively taboo subject in this country to ask someone how much they are earning. Pay discrimination is thriving because we have this culture of pay secrecy meaning employers can make mistakes or discriminate without consequence due to the lack of transparency. In most workplaces people do not talk openly about what they earn, only 24% of employees discuss their salary openly in the workplace. By removing the salary taboo women will have the opportunity to resolve equal pay issues, negotiate salaries and highlight discrepancies without fear of discrimination or judgement.
Join Women in Medicine! Join likeminded women and allies, raise awareness, and develop strategies to fight inequality.
Government Action Plans: The government should step up and implement meaningful penalties for employers who do not comply with gender pay gap reporting rules. Introduce leave for fathers which will enable shared caring between family members. Build better free childcare infrastructures which will enable women to maintain jobs that are higher earning and not work part time unless they want to.
It is not a question of whether women are suitable for the job. We are. With women outnumbering men in trainee positions and at medical schools, women are well equipped, knowledgeable, and highly qualified. We have proven that we shine as leaders, we have inspired generations of women to pick up the baton and strive in science, and we deserve our chance at leadership.
Laura Mackinney (she/her) | Vice President
Graduate Entry Medicine
References - All statistics and data used in this article have been taken from the credible sources listed below: