Channel 4 gender pay report reveals gap of 29%
Channel 4 has revealed that it pays its average female employee 28.6 per cent less than its average male worker, while the average bonus gap between men and women employed by the broadcaster is 47.6 per cent.
Alex Mahon, Channel 4’s chief executive and the first woman to hold that role, said the figures released yesterday made for “uncomfortable reading”.
“I am determined to take action to address it,” she added. “There is no quick fix, but identifying the complex and multiple reasons behind our gap is the first step towards tackling the fundamental issues at play.”
The numbers from Channel 4 follow the BBC unveiling a 9.3 per cent gender pay gap, and ITN revealing a 19.6 per cent gap.
Ms Mahon said Channel 4 employs “significantly more women than men”, but there is an imbalance in the
ratios at the higher and lower-earning parts of the business. According to Channel 4’s gender pay report, 59 per cent of its employees are women.
“We have more men in higher-paid roles, and more women in lower-paid roles. It would be perverse for us to reduce the number of women in lower-paid roles and we want to continue to be an attractive place for women to work. Instead, we must reduce the gap by focusing on increasing the proportion of women in higher-paid roles,” she said.
In response to the figures, the broadcaster set out a strategy of achieving a 50:50 gender balance in its top 100 earners by 2023. At the moment, 66 per cent of these roles are held by men, which has added to the bonus gap.
While men and women are offered the same opportunities to receive bonuses, Channel 4 said, there are more men in senior positions with higher bonus rates. Bonuses can be up to 10 per cent of total gross salary for staff, 20 per cent for heads of department and between 30 per cent and 50 per cent for the executive team. In addition, because bonus rates are a percentage of salary, the bonus gap is further increased by the presence of more men in the higher-paying quartiles.
Channel 4 said it is “fully committed to increasing the representation of women in our upper quartiles through targeted actions”, which will help to significantly reduce the gender pay gap.
“However, we are unlikely to ever reduce the gender pay gap to zero,” the broadcaster added. “This is because to reduce the gender pay gap to zero we would need to achieve gender parity in our lower two quartiles, which are currently predominantly female (65 per cent). This is not a stated aim as, if it were, it would result in actions that would go against the spirit of the gender pay gap legislation, which was designed to help women achieve greater equality of opportunity in the workplace.”