The pay gap at King’s
Every pay gap is unacceptable. Fifty years after the first equal pay and race discrimination legislation, it's time to end this now.
In March 2023, King's own data recorded a gender pay gap of 13.2 per cent. This gap compares to a gender pay gap of 11.3 per cent for the university sector. King’s also reported an ethnicity pay gap of 16.8 per cent. [Please note, these are all the mean averages]. These figures are explained as resulting from an under-representation of women and ethnic minorities in senior roles.
While King’s has taken several steps, such as signing up to Athena SWAN and the national Race Equality Charter, it is important to demand that these measures lead to demonstrable change. For example, Athena SWAN is a well-publicised initiative that contains many positive features, but a study conducted by Fran Amery and others at the University of Bath (2019) found that "there is no evidence that Athena SWAN membership and award level have any impact" on "the gender pay gap and the proportion of women in the top quartile of pay".
Measures to end pay gaps
Despite important rights in the Equality Act 2010 against direct and indirect discrimination, as well as powers for employers to take positive action, there are at least three main things that the law has failed to do and what we need to do as a university:
- End the systematic sex discrimination in childcare, where women risk falling behind in career progression and take a disproportionate childcare role. We need to raise paid parental leave for everyone and remove gender distinctions.
- Ensure that every parent has access to free childcare, paid for by employers, so that no parent needs to choose between work and their loved ones.
- End so called "market" rates of pay that embed conscious or unconscious bias, and exacerbate gender and ethnicity pay gaps, through better recruitment, promotion, shortlisting or advertising practices.
Rights to equal treatment
We opposes all unlawful discrimination and the use of non-disclosure agreements.
We all have a series of statutory rights to equal treatment in the Equality Act 2010. An employer, or any manager, can’t unjustifiably discriminate against you on the grounds protected in the Act. These are:
- sex
- race (including our colour, ethnicity or nationality)
- disability
- age
- pregnancy
- sexual orientation
- gender reassignment
- religion or belief, and
- marriage or civil partnership status.
In addition, it may be unlawful to discriminate in common law on the basis of class, accent or caste.
By banning unjustified discrimination, the law's goal is that we make decisions at work based on the content of people's character, not irrelevant factors.
There are three main types of unlawful discrimination:
Direct discrimination
This is where you are treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic (e.g. you are paid less, get fewer benefits, made redundant, or dismissed because of pregnancy or sex).
Visit the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website for more information about direct discrimination.
Indirect discrimination
This is where an employer has a neutral policy but disadvantages a protected group (e.g. an employer's hiring policies appear to benefit certain groups). An employer may argue that a neutral practice is justified by being proportionate to achieve a legitimate organisational or business aim.
Visit the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website for more information about indirect discrimination.
Failing to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people
Employers have a positive duty to include people with different physical or mental health needs. A disability is usually a longer-term condition that may hinder us at work if an employer fails to properly accommodate us.
Visit the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website for more information about reasonable adjustments.