Disability and ethnicity pay gaps go up, gender goes down: UoM’s 2023 pay gap analysis

Disability and ethnicity pay gaps at the University of Manchester have increased, a new pay gap report has found.

The report looks into pay gaps that exist in its demographics of gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. The report measures the pay gap between the average – mean and median – differences in University staff earnings.

The key reason for the pay gaps as described in the report is the “under-representation of women, BAME, disabled, and LGB+ staff in higher paid jobs and functions,” although there is statistical evidence that out of 3,070 staff in the highest paid quartile, there is an “increasing proportion of women,” standing at 42.4%.

Gender 

In the gender pay gap report, analysis found that the mean pay gap decreased to 12.8%, and the median is 8.2%.

The mean average gender pay gap stood at 14.1% in the University’s previous pay gap report. This is the lowest difference in earnings since 2017, when reporting began.

Disability

The pay gap has widened. The mean gap is 16.1%, while the median is 10.3%. The mean gap was previously at 14.9%. Disability pay gap figures have only been recorded since 2021.

Religion

The religion section of the report measures pay differences between staff who are religious, and those who are not religious.

The mean pay gap is -3% while the median is 0%. This is the first time a report into the religion pay gap has been conducted.

Sexual orientation

The mean difference in pay between staff who identify as heterosexual, in comparison to those who identify as LGB+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or other) is 12%. The median is 8.2%.

Ethnicity

The number of University staff who self-identify as BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) has decreased from 23.5% in 2022 to 23.1% in 2023. This is because of a decrease of 224 BAME staff, with the report stating that “their entry into lower-paid roles has produced a widening of the pay gaps.”

The ethnicity pay gap is 15.6% – the same figure as 2022 – while the median increased from 12.4% to 13.0%.

Bonus pay

A small proportion of staff at the University receive bonus pay. The figures are: 3.8% men, 3.4% women; 4.1% white staff, 2.2% BAME staff; 3.6% non-disabled staff, 3.1% disabled staff; 3.0% heterosexual staff, 1.4% LGB+ staff. The figure for religion was not provided.

The University analysed these figures, noting that the actions taken to reduce the gaps “take time to be effective,” with the actions developed in 2022 unlikely to “have had any impact” on the 2023 report.

Across Higher Education institutions, the mean hourly rate pay gap at the University of Manchester is 14.1%, compared to the lowest recorded figure of 11.7% at UCL and the highest of 24.7% at LSE.

Although the University is required by law to publish a gender pay gap every year, the University report also covers pay gaps in the demographics of disability, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

The reports, including the University’s analysis and action, can be found here.