More than one third of women (36%) believe they do not get the same pay as men at their organisation, according to a new survey.
Ahead of International Equal Pay Day (18 September), workplace expert Acas commissioned YouGov to survey perceptions of pay equality.
The survey showed that more than one third of women believed they were not being paid as much as men.
The survey also showed that just 10% of men believed they were being paid more than women.
By law, men and women must get equal pay for doing 'equal work'.
Acas's individual dispute resolution service, early conciliation, which helps to resolve potential employment tribunal claims, saw a 34% increase between 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024.
Acas Head of Inclusive Workplaces Julie Dennis 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."
Acas has advice for employers on setting equal pay policies, and performing an 'equal pay audit' if businesses have more than 50 employees. An 'equal pay review' is for businesses that have fewer than 50 staff to check for potential issues.
Employees who believe they are not receiving equal pay should talk to their employer to try to resolve the issue.
Acas also provides advice on:
Find out more about International Equal Pay Day from the United Nations
Media enquiries
Background notes
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size for employers was 1,025 employees. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29 August to 9 September 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of British business size and region.
Participants were asked: Do you think that women get equal pay with men for doing the same work in your organisation?
Results
Total:
- Yes, they do 64%
- No, they don't 22%
- Don't know 15%
Male:
- Yes, they do 77%
- No, they don't 10%
- Don't know 13%
Female:
- Yes, they do 48%
- No, they don't 36%
- Don't know 13%
Equal pay early conciliation cases:
- 2022 to 2023 – 1,135
- 2023 to 2024 – 1,519