Government questions gender pay gap action

Committee sessions featuring senior representatives from organisations including Easyjet, Balfour Beatty and PwC, were held as part of the Corporate Governance – Delivering on fair pay inquiry.

The inquiry is examining issues around the compliance of businesses with reporting requirements on the gender pay gap, such as whether the regulations are properly capturing the salaries of staff, and what steps companies are taking to address the pay gap.

Ahead of the sessions, Rachel Reeves MP, chair of the BEIS Committee, said: “Excessive executive pay and the gender pay gap are at root an issue of fairness. It is unacceptable that in 2018 jobs reward men and women so differently.

“Some sectors of the economy, such as construction, manufacturing and aviation, may point to long-standing challenges in recruiting female staff, especially at senior levels. But what are companies in these sectors, and across the rest of the economy, doing to confront and actively tackle these issues and ensure they hire the best possible talent?

“Transparency on gender pay gaps must only be the beginning. We want to examine the actions necessary to close the gender pay gap and ensure women have a genuine opportunity to get the top jobs.”

In addition to the sessions, which looked at gender pay in traditionally male-dominated industries and the issues around pay gap reporting, the Committee has accepted 21 written evidence submissions from a range of organisations and campaign groups.