University’s female employees effectively start working for free as of today
By Nina Bryant, News Sub-editor
The University’s 2018 Gender Pay Gap Report calculated that today, 1 November, marks the day that female employees at the University of Bristol effectively start working for free.
As it stands, the median gender pay gap within the University is currently 16.2%, compared to a nationwide median pay gap of 18.4%. The report stated that while 55% of employees are women, they make up 41% of those in the upper pay quartile and 69% of those in the lower pay quartile.
The report included commitments to address the gender pay gap amongst academic staff:
‘We aim to increase the number of female professors from 23.5% to 33% by 2022-2023.’
On 8 October of this year, Epigram reported that the University College Union (UCU) and the University of Bristol released a joint statement, asserting their united commitment to reduce the gender pay gap within the University. According to the statement the plans will aim to reduce the gender pay gap ‘significantly…within the next three years’.
Negotiations between the University and the UCU are currently taking place with specific actions and targets to be formalised by December of this year.
Professor Hugh Brady and Tracy Hooper, the Vice-chancellor of the University and the President of the Bristol branch of the UCU respectively, further recognised that:
‘there are a number of cultural, structural and policy issues which affect women in particular’.
They told Epigram that, given negotiations are still on going, they have no more details to disclose as of yet.
Featured Image: Nina Bryant / Epigram
Do you think the University are doing enough to close the gender pay gap? Let us know