Male staff at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) earned an average of 9.7% more per hour than their female colleagues, according to a new report.
The statistics published by the department today (Wednesday, January 31) are based on data of people employed in the department from June 24, 2022 to June 23, 2023.
A similar report published last year, covering the period from June 25, 2021 to June 24, 2022, showed that the gender pay gap in the department was 9.5%.
The department said that it has monitored and produced figures on the gender pay gap since 2013 when the figure stood at 20.5%.
Pay gap
The latest report shows that of the 3,949 people employed by DAFM, 51% or 2,014 were male, while 49% or 1,935 were women.
The gender gap in median hourly remuneration is 12.7%, which DAFM said reflects the fact that a higher proportion of the staff at more senior levels of the department are men.
The report notes that there has been “a steady downward trend in this gap” since 2013, “as more women have been appointed to senior management positions within the organisation”.
The lowest pay band comprised of 52% male and 48% female which is “broadly in line with the overall gender representation levels of the workforce”.
63% of the employees in the highest pay band were male showing that there is still a greater number of men at more senior positions within DAFM.
In the lower middle pay band 61% were female, while the upper-middle pay band comprised 55% male and 45% female staff.
The data shows that no staff member was paid a bonus or benefit in kind.
DAFM
The department said that it relaunched its Gender Equality Steering Group (GESG) during 2023.
The group works with the department’s Equality, Diversity and inclusion (ED&I) Advocacy team to promote and foster gender equality throughout the organisation.
The GESG focuses on career opportunities and participation in promotion competitions for all staff, supporting staff with caring responsibilities and work-life balance initiatives.
A review of those who had applied for positions in the department during the period covered by the report showed that 54.3% of applicants are men, 44.6% are women and 1.1% did not specific gender.