University pay review shows men still better off

An investigation into pay differentials between male and female staff at Cambridge University has revealed "significant differences in the average stipend paid to men and women in the same staff group."

The review, which was written by the Equal Pay Review Group as part of the equal pay audit commissioned by the University last year, revealed that the average stipend for female employees is £28,247, while for men it is £37,157; a difference of some 31.54%. Within pay groups (or 'grades', as they are classed in the report) men are more likely to be at the high end of the pay scale.

The report suggests that this might be because they have worked at the University for longer.

At the same time, statistics published in the notice in The Reporter on February 16th revealed that while, as of July 1 2008, 4119 of the University's 8539 staff were female (about 48%), proportionately more women are employed in lower-paid jobs and more men are in higher grades of pay.

This overall imbalance in gender distribution could affect pay statistics; women outnumber men in grades 5-6, while the balance is reversed in grades 8-12.

Furthermore, some pay classifications contain as few as five members of staff.

Male and female wages mostly differentiated by 3% or less within grades, which means that the University is not required to act. According to The Reporter, any subsequent action will be in accordance with advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which says that no action is necessary concerning a gender-related pay differential of under 3%. A differential of 3-5% should be "regularly monitored", while "action is needed to address the issue and close the gap" if male and female pay differs by over 5%.

The main exception is in grade 12, which represents senior academic staff. Here there is a differential of 5.2% between male and female pay. The review, carried out by members of the Human Resources Division and trade union representatives, also found that there were almost seven men for every woman in the top group.

According to The Reporter, "statistics from the Senior Academic Promotions indicate that we receive fewer applications from women than from men for such senior positions."

Grades 9-12 are used to classify academic staff. Of the 464 staff in grade nine, 36.85% are women. In grades 10-12 the percentage of women declines, reaching 12.47% in grade 12.

A note in The Reporter commented: "Further investigation is needed into why this imbalance occurs."

In some grades, however, there are cases where women earn more than men. In grade six, which concerns clerical staff, women outnumber men and their average pay is about 2.51% higher. Moreover, in grades 5, 7 and 9, that is, non-clinical research staff, the report found "very low differences in pay."

As a result of the report, the Review Group has recommended that the Human Resources Committee should "support the broader engagement and development of the Equal Pay Review process within the work of the Human Resources Division during 2009."

A new report will be submitted next year

Carly Hilts

Co-Editor in Chief