The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 requires organisations with over 250 employees to report on their Gender Pay Gap. Organisations are asked to select a ‘snapshot’ date in the month of June. The reporting period is the 12-month period immediately preceding and including the snapshot date.

TUS adheres to nationally agreed salary ranges for all job roles. This ensures that everyone is paid fairly for undertaking the same or a similar role. The gender pay gap looks at the distribution of men and women across all job levels of the organisation and identifies how this translates into the average salary made as a result.

The Gender Pay Gap is an equality measure that shows the difference between the average earnings of all men versus that of all women in an organisation.

The TUS Gender Pay Gap Report provides detail on:

• Difference between the mean hourly pay of male and female employees;
• Difference between the median hourly pay of male and female employees;
• Difference between the mean hourly pay of male and female part-time employees;
• Difference between the median hourly pay of male and female part-time employees;
• Difference between the mean hourly pay of male and female employees on temporary contracts;
• Difference between the median hourly pay of male and female employees on temporary contracts;
• The percentages of male and female employees who fall into quartile pay bands.

FAQ

How is the mean gender pay gap calculated?

To calculate the mean pay gap, we add together all the hourly pay rates that women received, divided by the number of women in our workforce. We then repeat this calculation for men. The difference between these figures is the mean gender pay gap.

How is the median gender pay gap calculated?

To calculate the median gender pay gap, we rank all staff by their hourly pay. We then compare what the woman in the middle of the female pay range receive with what the man in the middle of the male pay range received. The difference between these figures is the median gender pay gap.

Why should we look at both the mean and the median?

Looking at the mean and the median helps us to analyse different underlying causes of the gender pay gap and one can mask issues that another may highlight.

The median is less swayed by extreme values, particularly the small number of people on high salaries. The mean is useful because it captures the effect of a small number of high earners.

The difference between an organisation’s mean and median pay gap can provide valuable insight. The presence of very low earners can make the mean smaller than the median. A group of very high earners can make the mean larger than the median.

What are quartile pay bands?

Dividing employees into four more-or-less equal groups (or quartiles) with pay graded from lowest to highest helps us to examine pay across different levels of the organisation.

What is equal pay?

Equal pay is the legal obligation that requires employers to give men and women equal pay for like work. Paying women less than men for the same job, purely on account of their gender, is illegal and is outlawed by equality legislation.

What is the difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay?

Men and women are paid equal pay for like work by law in Ireland.

However if there are significantly more women than men in lower earning roles in an organisation, then women’s hourly average pay will be lower than men’s hourly average pay in that organisation – this is the gender pay gap.

If women on average earn less than men, the percentage is expressed as a positive figure. If men on average earn less than women, the percentage is expressed as a negative figure.

What are some of the causes of a gender pay gap?

Differences between what employees are paid can be impacted by a number of complex factors including:

• Occupational segregation – some job categories or occupations may have traditionally attracted more females than males or vice versa.
• Working patterns – full-time and part-time work. It may be that more females than males seek part-time work or career breaks and although this does not impact on their hourly rate of pay, it may impact on choices around career progression.
• Length of service – incremental pay within the public service may mean that new joiners are paid less than those who have been working in public service for longer.
• Gender breakdown of senior roles at higher salaries – a small number of higher paid employees can affect the average figures.
• Gender breakdown of lower paid roles – a large number of lower paid employees can affect the average figures.
• Societal factors – Factors such as availability and cost of child and/or elder care, how certain jobs or occupations are perceived may impact on career choices.