University of Portsmouth gender pay gap figures
The gender pay gap shows the difference between the average (mean and median) hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women employed on 31st March 2022 and is expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings.
A gender pay gap above zero indicates that men earn more than women. Complying with statutory calculations, we have identified our gender pay gap in the following ways:
- mean and median difference between hourly rates for men and women
- the proportions of men and women employees in each earnings quartile
- the mean and median difference between bonus pay for men and women
- the proportions of men and women who received bonus pay
Mean and median pay gap
The mean pay gap is the difference between men’s and women’s average hourly rate of pay, expressed as a percentage of the average hourly rate for men. Our mean gender pay gap is 14.6% which is in line with the 2020-21 wider economy in the UK calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (14.7%)1 and lower than the most recently available mean gender pay gap reported across the HE sector (15.5% in 2021)2. This is a fall of 1.2 percentage points in the pay gap compared with the previous year (15.8%).
The median pay gap is the difference between the middle value of hourly rates of pay (when listed in numerical order) for men compared to that for women, expressed as a percentage of the median hourly rate of pay for men. Our median pay gap is 13.7%, which is lower than the wider UK economy for 2020-21 (15.1%)1 but a little higher than the Higher Education sector for 2020-21 (12.3%)2. This represents a 0.5 percentage point increase when compared with the previous year (13.2%).
*In the graphs below, blue bars represent male staff and purple bars represent female staff
1ONS ‘Gender Pay Gap in the UK: 2022’
2Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) Intersectional Pay Gaps in Higher Education, 2020-21
The proportion of men and women colleagues in each pay quartile
The University has identified the percentage of women and men in each of our earnings quartiles, by dividing the workforce into four equal parts.
*In the graphs below, blue bars represent male staff and purple bars represent female staff
Women are disproportionally represented within the lower and lower middle quartiles at 66.4% and 62.7%, respectively (a slight reduction on the previous year from 68.7% and 62.9%) but are disproportionately under-represented in the upper quartile (at 43%), consistent with data from the previous year. The upper middle quartile is more closely balanced, comprising 50.6% (down from 52.2% the previous year) of women and 49.4% of men.
Gender bonus gap
Bonuses are paid in the form of Recognition Awards to individuals and teams who have made a significant contribution to our success. Within this reporting period, an exceptional award was made to all eligible staff to reflect the additional demands presented by the Covid pandemic
*In the graphs below, blue bars represent male staff and purple bars represent female staff
The mean bonus gender pay gap shows the difference between the average bonus pay received by men and women expressed as a percentage of the average bonus pay of men. The mean bonus pay received by women in the reporting period to March 2022 was £497. This compares to the mean bonus pay for men of £539 and reflects a mean gender bonus gap of 7.8% (an increase from 3.7% the previous year). The increase is due, in part, to bonuses being paid to recognise exceptional project work amongst specific teams that are very heavily male-dominated.
Our median bonus gender pay gap has remained at 0%, which is consistent with previous years.
The proportion of men and women colleagues receiving a bonus
The proportion of colleagues who received a bonus under the statutory definition was broadly consistent, irrespective of gender, with 69.6% of women and 69.9% of men receiving a bonus.
*In the graphs below, blue bars represent male staff and purple bars represent female staff
Why do we have a gender pay gap?
There is clear evidence of both vertical and horizontal (occupational) workforce segregation. Women account for a disproportionately higher share of colleagues in lower grades, and a disproportionately lower share in higher grades than men. Over 66% of colleagues in grades 1-4, but only 40% of those in grades 9-12 are women. This is particularly apparent in our academic roles in that, whilst over 46% of lecturers (and senior lecturers) are women, just 24.1% of professors are (32 of 133). This experience is consistent with the wider Higher Education sector, where data provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) indicates that women account for a total of 50% of lecturers but only 29% of professors. At the most senior level, the gender representation of our University Executive Board is broadly balanced.
We also observe that women are over-represented amongst occupational groups which tend to be concentrated in large numbers towards the lower end of our grading structure and in occupational groups such as Nursery Practitioners and Catering Assistants (100% women and 96% women, respectively), where the career path progression routes are not as well defined as in other areas.
How we're addressing the gender pay gap
Equality, Diversity and inclusion are integral to our Strategy. We are committed to delivering against the ambitions it expresses and are developing a comprehensive gender equality action plan as part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Framework. We have been a member of the Athena Swan, gender equality charter, since 2011 and hold an Athena Swan Bronze Award. We are determined to identify and remove any potential gender bias and ensure an inclusive culture that respects, values and maximises the potential of all our staff, students and partners. Specifically, we will:
- Unpack the reasons for the gender pay gap through the University Athena Swan Self-assessment team to develop a detailed action plan that supports our application for a silver award and our desire to promote the development and progression of women.
- Review our recruitment and selection practices to ensure any biases are acknowledged and mitigated, embedding inclusive hiring practices and removing perceived or actual barriers to women applying for and securing appointments or promotions.
- Continue to offer Women’s Leadership Development programmes (Aurora and Springboard) and explore ways of monitoring and evaluating the impact of programme participation in the retention and progression of women at the University of Portsmouth.
- Monitor pay appointment and promotion, by gender, to establish differences in the salaries awarded by men and women and ensure these are appropriately challenged.
- Work with faculties and departments to identify areas where horizontal occupational segregation appears to exist and identify and implement actions to dissolve the barriers that cause this.
- Continue to engage actively with the Women’s and the Parent and Carers’ staff networks to inform the development of inclusive practice.
- From 2023, we will produce a combined gender and ethnicity pay gap report, adopting an intersectional approach.
We are a diverse, multicultural and international community. Our commitment is not limited to meeting the minimum legal requirements of equalities legislation, we are committed to working inclusively and to developing a workforce that reflects our student community, the City of Portsmouth and the region’s diversity.
Whilst our gender pay gaps are broadly in line with or below both sector norms and UK wider economy, we still have much work to do in seeking to understand why the pay gaps exist and what specific actions are likely to have the greatest impact in closing them. Inevitably, progress will take time, but we remain committed to reducing and eliminating these gaps.
Compliance Statement
To comply with The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017, we are required to publish gender pay gap information by 30th March annually, for all staff employed on the 31 March of the preceding year. The data published in this report is accurate and satisfies the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.