The gender pay gap between male and female full-time staff at Teagasc is 12% according to the organisation’s Gender Pay Gap Report 2022.
There were 348 permanent full-time female staff in Teagasc, compared to 625 male full-time permanent employees, as of June 30, 2022.
The gender pay gap refers to the difference between what is earned on average by women and men based on average gross hourly earnings of all paid employees. It compares the pay of all working men and women.
The gender pay gap does not refer to equal pay for equal work. Paying women less than men for the same job, purely on account of their gender, is illegal and is outlawed by equality legislation. It is not, however, illegal to have a gender pay gap, the report stated.
The report indicates that the average hourly pay for women is €29.96, while the average hourly pay for male staff is €33.95, a difference of 12%.
Teagasc has said that the report showcases some of the steps it is now taking to address the imbalance in gender pay and to encourage greater female representation across all pay grades.
There has been a 10% increase in the number of females in senior positions within the organisation since 2017, with 22% of these roles now filled by women.
Gender pay gap at Teagasc
The report states: “Championing gender diversity is integral to Teagasc’s long-term vision.
“We recognise that being able to attract, develop and retain top female talent is crucial, and that organisations with gender-diverse management teams outperform organisations that do not have diversity.
“For decades, Teagasc has operated in a male-dominated industry, but this is changing in recent years,” Teagasc said.
In terms of permanent part-time staff, the report states that it is noteworthy that the numbers of male staff availing of part-time working is very low in the lower pay bands and numbers are in the low single digits in the ‘Upper Middle’ and ‘Upper’ pay bands.
The ‘Lower Quartile’ (pay band) represents the lowest number of female staff working part-time, at 20.
As a result of the imbalance in the numbers of male and female staff availing of part-time working, and the fact that the majority of male staff working part-time are in the ‘Lower Quartile’, there is a -15% mean gender pay gap.
This means that there is a 15% pay gap in favour of female staff who are working part-time.
Permanent staff Permanent part-time staff Temporary full-time staff Mean gap 12% -15% 3% Median gap 18% -53% 1%
The mean pay gap is the difference between men and women’s average hourly wages across the organisation.
The median pay gap is the difference between the middle paid woman’s hourly wage and the middle paid man’s hourly wage, i.e., if the men and women are separately listed from the highest to the lowest paid, it is the difference in the hourly wage between the person in the middle of each list.
Teagsac action
Teagasc has acknowledged in the report that while significant progress has been made towards gender equality in recent years, the organisation said that more needs to be done.
“We know that a gender pay gap exists because women are underrepresented in our higher-paid roles across our organisation. This is an area we are working hard to change, while recognising that it will take time to address,” the report stated.
“We know that organisations with diverse workforces perform better. Diversity helps increase creativity and innovative thinking, and strengthens employee engagement.
“Therefore, it is vital that we continue to improve the diversity of our organisation across all levels. In doing so, we will also better represent the communities and societies that the organisation serves.”
The Teagasc Gender Equality Plan comprised four main strategic objectives:
- Building a gender equality culture;
- Reshaping decision-making and governance;
- Developing equal career support measures;
- Integrating gender in funding, research and teaching.