Bad publicity bigger issue than gender pay gap, say UK firms

Over one quarter of senior personnel in UK businesses do not see the gender pay gap as an issue – despite discrepancies in the UK standing at 13.9%, according to the Fawcett society.

Research by NGA Human Resources found that the majority of respondents said the gender pay gap was partly due to women’s personal career decisions; citing factors such as women being more likely to take career breaks (49%) or work part-time (42%).

The report also found that of the problems businesses are concerned about, 40% said bad publicity, brand damage (34%) and recruitment issues (33%) were significant problems. This was followed by retaining staff (26%) and pay rise demands (20%).

Other reasons respondents gave for the pay gap included the lack of representation of women in the overall workforce (20%) and fewer females in senior management positions (27%).