The Royal College of Psychiatrists can today (19 September) announce that the gender pay gap - the difference in pay between male and female members of staff - has fallen to a median average of 6.22% in 2021. This is down from a gender pay gap of 13.97% in 2020, and 17% in 2019.
The average median gender pay gap across the UK, in 2020, was 15.5%.
The mean gender pay gap at the RCPsych has also declined, this year, to 4.86%. In 2020, it was 16.35%, and in 2019 it was 19%.
The total number of substantive employees and workers in post with the RCPsych on the date of the snapshot research for the gender pay audit – 5 April 2021 – was 340.
At the time of the report, 70% of our staff (237 people) were female and 30% (102) were male. One member of staff preferred not to state their gender.
Results from RCPsych gender pay gap report
Our gender pay report also shows that this year:
- 72% of people in our upper pay quartile are women - up from 60% last year
- 74% of people in our upper-middle pay quartile are women - down from 79% last year
- 78% of people in our lower-middle pay quartile are women - up from 76% last year
- 56% of people in our lower pay quartile are women - down from 76% last year.
While some organisations have been reluctant to carry out gender pay reports in recent years, the RCPsych believes that carrying out gender pay audits – and enacting measures to reduce the gender pay gap – is consistent with its organisational values of Courage, Innovation, Respect, Collaboration, Excellence and Learning.
After the publication of last year’s pay audit, the College launched an 18-point Gender Equality Action Plan – which is believed to have had an impact.
Meanwhile, this year, the RCPsych has also done a piece of research, in parallel with this year’s gender pay report, which shows that during the period April 2020-July 2021, 81% of people promoted (30 individuals) among our employee team were women, with 19% of people promoted (7 individuals) were men.
RCPsych Chief Executive Paul Rees said:
“We’ve made massive progress in closing the gender pay gap over the last two years and that is to be celebrated.
“But we will never stop seeing what more we can do to ensure a workplace that is fair to all.
“We want to continue to press ahead and keep making the College more and more of a values-based and progressive organisation.
“We are determined to do everything we can to ensure that the RCPsych is the most female-friendly workplace possible – with any potential barriers to women being rooted out and eliminated.”
“Because this is such an important issue to us, we are determined to continue to monitor gender pay on an annual basis and track how we are doing in parallel with the continued embedding of our Gender Equality Action Plan.”
Through the RCPsych Gender Equality Action Plan, the College is committed to:
- Adhering to equal opportunities best practice in recruitment – based on a competency-based approach (for all staff) and a values-based approach (for pay band 4 employee roles and above) – ensuring that all appointments and internal promotions are made solely on the basis of merit
- Following an open and transparent approach regarding pay, with clear staff pay bands, a job evaluation process, regular benchmarking with similar employers, and pay awards that are made following a clear and transparent process
- Enhancing support delivered around career development, with the aim of assisting all employees to achieve their potential – regardless of gender, ethnicity and other demographic variables
- Offering a competitive total employee benefits package, including a comprehensive flexi-scheme, and flexible working opportunities available to all employees
- Ensuring a competitive rate of maternity pay
- Extending maternity pay to cover adoptive parents
- Providing mandatory training in equality and diversity, including in unconscious bias, for all staff
- Ensuring the College has a designated SMT Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead
- Supporting the work of the internal employee-facing Sexuality, Gender Equality and Inclusion Forum
- Ensuring equality and diversity is a regular item on SMT and Heads Group meeting agendas
- Monitoring the perception of staff – through our staff surveys – of our effectiveness as a good employer, when it comes to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace
- Continuing to show a sense of urgency on the issue of equality and diversity (for instance, by carrying out a gender pay audit and reviewing the gender equality plan, annually) and by guaranteeing that we will not become complacent
- Continually reviewing our performance, so as to ensure that we are a truly inclusive employer with equal opportunities for all
- Analysing the reasons why we have a gender pay gap at the College, on an annual basis
- Taking a zero-tolerance approach towards bullying
- Aspiring to ensure that all recruitment panels are diverse, with no single gender panels where possible
- Monitoring promotions made within the College on an annual basis, to assess the level of equality of opportunity, and
- Underpinning the College’s commitment to equality of opportunity, through up-to-date HR policies that align with equal opportunities best practice.
For further information, please contact:
- Email: webteam@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych