Government unveils plans to cut gender pay gap

PAY DISCRIMINATION

Government unveils plans to cut gender pay gap

Denise Kingsmill, the lawyer commissioned by government ministers to conduct a review of the pay gap between men and women, has published her long-awaited report. It contains a wide range of recommendations for the government aimed at improving the "management of human capital" and tackling the 18% gap between male and female pay.

The report, which was commissioned by Ministers in April, follows a comprehensive review which consulted senior managers in 100 of the UK’s leading private and public sector organisations.

Spread across 190 pages, the report contains a summary of the factors behind the UK gender pay gap, an extensive discussion about the ways in which employers are managing their human capital and statements of evidence from 50 of the companies, trade unions, voluntary organisations and public sector bodies with whom Kingsmill met during the review.

Government response

In response to the Kingsmill report, the government has announced a package of measures designed to cut the pay gap between men and women:

  • a new measure to make it easier for women to obtain information from employers about equal pay problems

  • new requirements for larger companies to disclose their "human capital management" strategies — for example how they train, invest and recruit staff — in annual reports

  • private and public sector organisations will be encouraged to conduct equal pay audits

  • new awards to encourage best practice in equal pay and equality, the so-called "Castle awards".

Want to know more?

To download a copy of the Kingsmill report in PDF format, free of charge, visit www.kingsmillreview.gov.uk.

The government response is outlined in a press release published by the Department of Trade and Industry