How do you close a pay gap?
Mia Kelly
Published Jan 16, 2026
Effective actions
- Include multiple women in shortlists for recruitment and promotions. ...
- Use skill-based assessment tasks in recruitment. ...
- Use structured interviews for recruitment and promotions. ...
- Encourage salary negotiation by showing salary ranges. ...
- Introduce transparency to promotion, pay and reward processes.
How can we reduce the pay gap?
Strategies for narrowing the gender pay gap
- Raise the minimum wage. ...
- Increase pay transparency. ...
- Unionize workplaces. ...
- Implement fair scheduling practices. ...
- Expand paid family and medical leave. ...
- Increase access to child care. ...
- Stop basing employee pay on salary history. ...
- Improve work-life balance.
How do you address a pay gap at work?
The strategies businesses can implement to address the gender pay gap include:
- Committing to flexible working. ...
- Producing a narrative report. ...
- Making promotions and pay rises transparent. ...
- Encouraging salary negotiations.
How do you ensure equal pay?
Here are five ways you can ensure equal pay on your team:
- Prevent salary disparities before making new hires. ...
- Review employee compensation on a regular basis. ...
- Separate compensation reviews from performance reviews. ...
- Disclose salary ranges for different positions and levels. ...
- Advocate for your people.
How can companies reduce gender pay gap?
Encouraging salary negotiations
Women are reportedly much less likely to negotiate their salary than men, leaving them on lower salaries. To rectify this, employers should seek to encourage all employees to negotiate their salary during reviews and advertise internal posts with a salary range.
18 related questions foundHow long will it take to close the gender pay gap?
The report estimates that it will take an average of 135.6 years for women and men to reach parity on a range of factors worldwide, instead of the 99.5 years outlined in the 2020 report. 36 years marks the largest gain in one year since the report started in 2006.
How long will it take to close the gender pay gap UK?
About 30 years. It will take 30 years to reach gender parity at senior levels of the financial services industry if nothing is done to improve the “frustratingly slow” current rate, the Treasury's champion on the issue has warned.
Can 2 employees doing the same job be paid differently?
The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. Job content (not job titles) determines whether jobs are substantially equal.
Is it legal to pay different salaries for the same job?
It is legal for a company to pay different wages for the same or similar job, but only if there are non-discriminatory material factors which explain the reason for the difference.
Is the Equal Pay Act of 1963 still in effect?
Today, June 10, 2011, marks 48 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 into law. This was a landmark piece of federal anti-discrimination law and one of the very first to address gender-based pay disparities.
How do you deal with unfair pay at work?
In order to report unfair wages, an employee must first file a complaint with a state or federal government agency that oversees unfair wage matters, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The agency that receives the complaint will then review the claim and open an investigation.
Why is it important to close the gender pay gap?
If women have access to the pay range of their peers, they can better negotiate starting pay and raises. Income transparency also holds companies accountable by highlighting unjust and sexist practices. Ending the gender pay gap is about making sure women and men are paid fairly and equitably for the work they do.
How do I close my gender pay gap UK?
Effective actions
- Include multiple women in shortlists for recruitment and promotions. ...
- Use skill-based assessment tasks in recruitment. ...
- Use structured interviews for recruitment and promotions. ...
- Encourage salary negotiation by showing salary ranges. ...
- Introduce transparency to promotion, pay and reward processes.
Can you get fired for talking about your pay?
Most likely; yes, it is illegal to fire an employee for disclosing their pay. Employees gossip; spread rumors and tell stories. With that in mind, employers are inclined to suggest that workers should not discuss their wages, evaluations, or raises with other coworkers.
What is the difference between equal pay and gender pay gap?
The gender pay gap measures the difference between men and women's average pay. Equal pay, on the other hand, is the legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 that requires employers to give men and women equal pay if they are employed to do like work.
What should you do if you are underpaid?
What to Do if You Think You're Underpaid
- Be sure to compare your salary to those of other employees at both your company and other companies.
- Some of the most underpaid jobs include those that serve children, the elderly and the sick.
- When negotiating a pay raise, present the strongest case possible, backed by evidence.
Why do new hires get paid more?
Employers often need to increase pay to hire experienced or in-demand workers when the need for workers outstrips the supply of available talent. At the same time, raises for current staffers may not have kept up. The disparity can also happen when companies use out-of-date data to set pay.
Can your boss tell you not to discuss salary?
In fact, employees' right to discuss their salary is protected by law. While employers may restrict workers from discussing their salary in front of customers or during work, they cannot prohibit employees from talking about pay on their own time.
What do you do if a coworker earns more than you?
What to Do If You Find Out Your Co-worker Earns a Higher Salary
- ASSESS THE SITUATION. It's only human to feel frustrated after hearing someone you consider an equal earns more than you. ...
- DO YOUR RESEARCH. If you know that you and your co-worker are similar on paper, do some fact-finding. ...
- TALK TO YOUR MANAGER.
Is there a gender pay gap?
Despite that, even with a higher educational level, women earn, on average, less than men do. Although the difference between men's and women's earnings has declined in recent years, in 2016 women still received the equivalent of 76.5% of men's earnings.
Does the wage gap still exist 2022?
The pay gap between working women and men overall held steady into 2022, unchanged from a year earlier—signifying a break from the steady improvement seen since 2015, new research shows. March 15 is Equal Pay Day, the date that represents how far into 2022 women have to work to earn what men earned by the end of 2021.
What country has the lowest wage gap?
Iceland has the lowest gender pay gap, followed by Norway, Sweden, and Finland. On the other hand, Yemen has the highest gender pay gap, followed by Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria. In 1970, the UK had a 47.6% difference between the median earnings of men and women, while as of 2016, the difference was 16.8%.
What is an unfair wage?
Unfair wages mean an employer does not fairly compensate their workers. The category “unfair wages” covers several types of workplace violations, including wage theft, failing to pay minimum wage, or withholding overtime pay. Discrimination in compensation also qualifies as unfair wages.
Can you talk to HR about pay?
Salary Concerns
Smith says you can always raise concerns about your salary, but it doesn't mean it will change anything. “HR has to consider internal equity, the pay band [which is how employees jobs are classified], budget, and performance,” she says.
When did unequal pay start?
Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), landmark U.S. legislation mandating equal pay for equal work, in a measure to end gender-based disparity. The National War Labor Board first advocated equal pay for equal work in 1942, and an equal pay act was proposed in 1945.