By Louise Timlin

There are many ways of measuring the Gender Pay Gap.

Statistically it makes sense to look at the median, and according to the Gender Pay Gap reporting required by firms of over 250 staff, it is 9.4% and has been 9.4% since these figures were first required to be reported.

However, whichever statistic you look at, the estimate from the Office of National Statistics, mean or median, the answer comes back the same – women are paid less than men.

This is the fifth time councils have been required to publish their Gender Pay Gaps and for Wokingham Borough Council the gap persists.

The 2022/23 reported gap for hourly median pay is 15.6%. Wokingham does not compare well with the average for local councils. Of the 292 who had so far reported their data for 2022/23, the average median gap was 2.5%.

Reading is performing significantly better with a median gap only a bit higher than the average, at 3%, but mean hourly pay is equal with a 0% difference.

I first raised the issue of the Gender Pay Gap at Wokingham Council back in 2019, and have repeatedly asked for a specific action plan after being given vague, and clearly erroneous assurances, about their commitment to equality.

With the change in leadership in 2022, I was pleased to see Cllr Bishop-Firth committed to address it, as reported in Wokingham Today on July 28, 2022.

Cllr Bishop-Firth, said the council will “take all necessary steps” to reduce this gap including looking at other councils to see what can be adopted within Wokingham. Given this statement I’m interested to hear what they have learned from our neighbours in Reading.

One clear difference between the data submitted by Reading and Wokingham councils is the distribution of women across the pay quartiles. Reading has a consistent male/female distribution in all four pay quartiles of 40/60 which is what you would hope to see in an organisation that recruits and promotes men and women fairly. By comparison, Wokingham Council sees the proportion of women fall as you go up the pay quartiles.

This pattern is common in organisations with poor gender pay gaps, and generally reflects that although the organisation may employ a majority of women, as is the case with Wokingham Council, it does not develop and promote them at the same rate as men.

Indeed one of the reasons I was given for the pay gap, by the previous leader of Wokingham Council, was that women disproportionately take advantage of the flexible working arrangements which are limited to more junior and lower-paid roles.

At no point did it occur to the council to ask themselves why they were not offering flexibility in the more senior roles.

They seemed very happy to accept and perpetuate the gender stereotypes which see women’s earnings eroded by unequal and unpaid caring responsibilities.

This is unacceptable and the council needs to step up to be a role model and address the root of the problem.

Many organisations, including the Local Government Association and the Fawcett Society, offer evidence-based advice and solutions, including flexible working as the default for all roles so that it’s not seen as a women-only benefit, and encouraging the uptake of shared parental leave.

The cost of living crisis is hitting women hard, with 42% of low paid women having fallen behind on household bills compared to 35% of low paid men.

It’s time for Wokingham Council to be transparent and publish their action plan, complete with targets and timelines, for eradicating their Gender Pay Gap.

It’s estimated that it could take up to 100 years to end the Gender Pay Gap in the UK. I won’t live to see it, neither will my daughter. The Women’s Equality Party sets out a raft of proposals to end the Gender Pay Gap, including pay transparency, investing in childcare and placing equal value on occupations perceived as “male” or “female”.

I urge Wokingham Council to set an example for other councils and local businesses. Women got the vote just over 100 years ago, let’s not wait another 100 years for equal pay.

Louise Timlin is Leader of Women’s Equality Party, Reading and Wokingham. She the party’s candidate in Evendons ward on Wokingham Borough Council in the forthcoming local elections

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