More than one-third of women (36%) do not believe they receive the same pay as men at their organisation, according to research by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
The workplace service organisation commissioned YouGov to survey perceptions of pay equality among 1,025 employees ahead of International Equal Pay Day on 18 September. It found that overall, 64% of respondents think women receive equal pay for doing the same work as men in their organisation, while 22% do not agree.
Just 10% of men believed they were being paid more than women, compared to 77% thinking they are not, while 48% of women agree that men are paid more than them at their organisation.
In addition, Acas’ individual dispute resolution service Early Conciliation, which helps to resolve potential employment tribunal claims, saw a 34% increase in the number of cases between 2022/23 and 2023/24, rising from 1,135 to 1,519.
Julie Dennis, head of inclusive workplaces at Acas, said: “Having an equal pay policy can help bosses be open and clear with their staff about how they achieve equal pay and how they will resolve any pay issues. This can help tackle any perceptions that men are being paid more than women and help ensure employers are not breaking the law. Women doing equal work to their male colleagues should not be paid less and employers should be consistent when deciding people’s pay and contractual terms and conditions.
“An equal pay review is for businesses that have fewer than 50 staff to check for potential issues. Employees which believe they are not receiving equal pay should talk to their employer to try to resolve the issue.”
