North Yorkshire Police disappointed that pay gap is as high as it is

North Yorkshire Police has published its gender pay gap figures for the workforce employed by the Chief Constable.
North Yorkshire Police has published its gender pay gap figures for the workforce employed by the Chief Constable.North Yorkshire Police has published its gender pay gap figures for the workforce employed by the Chief Constable.
North Yorkshire Police has published its gender pay gap figures for the workforce employed by the Chief Constable.

The figures, which are a snapshot of the organisation at a date in March 2018, show a median gender pay gap of 22.2%.

This is a marginal increase of 1.4% on the previous year.

Compared with the other Yorkshire Police Forces, West Yorkshire Police has a median gender pay gap of 19.5% and South Yorkshire Police has a median gender pay gap of 26.8%.

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The gender pay gap does not mean that women are paid less than men for the same work, which has been against the law since the Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1970.

Instead, it shows the difference in pay between the middle-ranking woman in the organisation, and the middle-ranking man.

A gender pay gap can be caused by many different reasons, including more men in higher-paid jobs, and a higher proportion of women in part-time roles.

North Yorkshire Police reports that its gender pay gap as captured in March 2018 relates to a higher proportion of men in the most highly-paid posts, and more men than women achieving promotion into higher-pay roles at that time.

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The median gender pay gap figure for bonus payments dropped in favour of women from 9% at the 2017 snapshot to -8.6% in the snapshot taken at March 2018.

This shows an increase in bonus payments to women which is attributable to women tutoring student officers and those in developing roles.

North Yorkshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable, Phil Cain, said: “It is disappointing that the gender pay gap figure is as high as it is – but it is important to remember that it represents a moment in time a year ago.

“Through our Positive Action Programme we are trying to address gender imbalance, and as an organisation we have moved on since the period these figures represent.

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“If you look at our workforce now, we have gender balance in the top ranks, from our Chief Officer Team down to the level of Chief Inspector, which means more women in the most highly-paid jobs.

“With the success we’ve had in recruiting more women into the organisation, and the work we’re doing to mentor women in our workforce, we should be able to make an impact on the gender pay gap over time.

“Reducing the gender pay gap is a challenge, but we’re committed to bringing that figure down.”