In presenting their latest gender pay gap statistics, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) explain that while there is no single measure that adequately deals with the complex issue of the differences between men’s and women’s pay, the ONS prefer to use median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) as they believe this provides the most meaningful comparison. In April 2015, the gender pay gap based on median earnings for full-time employees decreased to 9.4% from 9.6% in 2014. This is the lowest since the survey began in 1997, although the gap has changed relatively little in recent years. When part-time employees are included, the gap in 2015 is unchanged from 2014, at 19.2%. With legislation making gender pay gap reporting mandatory ‘on the radar’, these figures provide employers with a useful benchmark for comparison. Following publication of the figures, Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, has urged employers to start tackling the gender pay gap now.

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