4: 11.9% Mind the Gap

More Than a Number

Is inequality in the workplace inevitable? Of course not – but why are we not seeing improvement in the 11.9% gender pay gap (the average for UK businesses with over 250 employees)? Why do women lose out when it comes to bonuses? And are there instances when a low gender pay gap could be a bad thing?

This episode’s panel holds nothing back. Find out why LGIM’s Dame Helena Morrisey believes that men having more life choices is key to women’s equal pay; why Liz Benison, the MD of Arriva, likens women self-selecting out the system to skiing in a whiteout; why the ICAEW’s Dr Jane Berney thinks that quotas are not a good thing (while others disagree) and why the CEO of the Fawcett Society, Sam Smethers, cautions against a one-size-fits-all-women approach to diversity in the workplace.

Business journalist Louise Cooper is back in the chair in this latest episode from ICAEW’s More Than a Number. While guiding the conversation, she gathers a lot of really helpful advice. Dame Helena guides on how best to negotiate a pay rise; Liz shows how very simple amends to language usage hugely increased the number of women taking up development courses; and the panel discusses the benefits of not asking candidates to disclose their current salary in job interviews.

Dame Helena Morrisey was Head of Personal Investing at Legal & General Investment Management at the time of recording.

ICAEW is a world-leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports over 181,500 chartered accountants and students worldwide. We provide qualifications and professional development, share our knowledge, insight and technical expertise, and protect the quality and integrity of the accountancy and finance profession.

Ready to act?

Inequality is not inevitable, but we have to create faster change. ICAEW has resources to help you improve diversity within your workplace. Find out more here.

All views expressed on this podcast are those of the contributors and don’t necessarily reflect those of ICAEW or its members.