DCMS gender pay gap report 2023
Published 30 November 2023
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Introduction
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is committed to reducing the gender pay gap as part of our ambition to be the most diverse and inclusive government department by 2025. Gender equality is key to delivering our ambition and this year’s data shows that our current methods are working. Our approach to pay and bonuses seeks to reward all staff fairly, regardless of gender.
We have prepared this report as part of the legal requirement for public authorities to publish their gender pay gap on an annual basis. Greater transparency and accountability is key to enabling us as an organisation to demonstrate our commitment to equality, attract the best talent and boost staff engagement. Data helps drive action and our report also aligns with the recommendations made from the Inclusive Data Taskforce report published in September 2021.
DCMS’ headcount for all employees in scope for the calculations on the 31 March 2023 snapshot date was 1710, a decrease of 310 since the previous year. The decrease is partly due to the exclusion of Building Digital UK data this year, following the establishment of BDUK as an Executive Agency on 01 April 2022. Of the remaining DCMS headcount, 1646 employees were identified as ‘full pay relevant employees’ as set out in the regulations, and included in the calculations. This included 54.7% women. On the same date, the Department had 104 full time equivalent Senior Civil Servants (SCS), 51% of whom were women.
On 7 February 2023, the Prime Minister announced Machinery of Government changes to create three new government departments: the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade; as well as a refocused Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Data for staff from DCMS who transferred to DSIT is included in this report. This report does not include gender pay gap data for Building Digital UK which was an Executive Agency of DCMS prior to the Machinery of Government changes. The National Archives is a DCMS Non-Ministerial Department and they will report their gender pay gap data separately.
Gender pay gap 2023
2.94% Mean Reduced from 3.30% in 2022
1.61% Median Reduced from 9.80% in 2022
The gender pay gap shows the difference in pay between men and women in the workforce. If a workforce has a particularly high gender pay gap, this can indicate that there may be a number of issues to deal with, and the individual calculations may help to identify what those issues are.
At DCMS, we have had a consistent focus on reducing our gender pay gap since our first report in 2017, identifying areas that can contribute to improvements such as recruitment, reward and talent management. We are pleased that this year our mean gender pay gap has fallen from 3.30% to 2.94% which shows that our current methods to reduce the gap are working.
The gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Equal pay is a statutory requirement for employers rendering it unlawful to pay men and women different salaries, who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs or work of equal value.
The gender pay gap is based on hourly pay excluding overtime. Hourly pay is the sum of ordinary pay and any bonus pay that was paid in the pay period which ends on 31 March 2023. The mean gender pay gap is the difference between the average pay for women and average pay for men. The median gender pay gap is the difference between the hourly rate of pay for the median female and the hourly rate of pay for the median male.
Figure 1: 2023 Pay quartiles
| Gender | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 40.3% | 59.7% | 100% |
| Q2 | 44.5% | 55.5% | 100% |
| Q3 | 47.1% | 52.9% | 100% |
| Q4 | 49.4% | 50.6% | 100% |
Note: Pay quartiles are calculated by listing the department’s hourly wages in ascending order and then splitting this list into four equal parts, showing the gender balance at each quartile. Those with the lowest hourly wages make up pay quartile 1 and those with the highest hourly wages quartile 4.
Figure 2: Gender balance at each grade
| Staff | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| All staff (1646) | 45.3% | 54.7% | 100% |
| D (6) | 50.0% | 50.0% | 100% |
| C (144) | 40.3% | 59.7% | 100% |
| B (605) | 43.3% | 56.7% | 100% |
| A (585) | 47.5% | 52.5% | 100% |
| A(U) (202) | 46.5% | 53.5% | 100% |
| SCS PB1 (77) | 49.4% | 50.6% | 100% |
| SCS PB2 (21) | 57.1% | 42.9% | 100% |
| SCS PB3 (4) | 25.0% | 75.0% | 100% |
| SCS PB4 (2) | 0.0% | 100% | 100% |
Analysis of gender pay gap
As observed in 2022, DCMS has a higher proportion of women than men overall (Figure 2) and the department continues to have a higher representation of women than men at SCS, with more women than men in 3 out of the 4 grades at this level. However, women continue to be over-represented in the lower pay quartile (Figure 1).
In 2018, the median gender pay gap was 22.90%, meaning that women earned 22.90% less than men at the median. 2021 showed median pay figures were equal, meaning there was no gender pay gap. However, in 2022, it increased to 9.80%, which was likely due to more males being recruited into higher paying Grade A roles. In 2023, the median gender pay gap has improved significantly to 1.61%, which is a positive change. This means that women earned only 1.61% less than men at the median, signifying progress towards decreasing the gender pay gap. This is likely due to more women being recruited into higher paying Grade A roles in 2023.
Our mean gender pay gap has improved again this year with a reduction of 0.36 percentage points to 2.94%.
Figure 3: DCMS gender pay gap trend
| GPG | Mean GPG | Median GPG |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5.60% | 16.60% |
| 2020 | 2.70% | 10.60% |
| 2021 | 5.10% | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 3.30% | 9.80% |
| 2023 | 2.94% | 1.61% |
Figure 3 demonstrates the trend in our mean and median pay gaps. From 2019 to 2021 the median was showing a downward trend, however it increased in 2022, falling again in 2023. We observe a positive trend for the mean which has fluctuated over the years but is currently at the lowest since 2020.
Gender bonus gap analysis
-6.28% Mean Increased from -0.20% in 2022
-5.0% Median Reduced from -8.30% in 2022
The department removed end of year performance awards for delegated grades (below SCS) from the 2021/22 financial year and replaced them with an in-year reward scheme. The scheme which launched in October 2021 recognises personal performance, one off performance, responsibility and corporate contribution. Senior Civil Servants in the department are eligible for an end of year performance award, which is paid at a set value depending on grade and performance level.
In 2023, the median female employee received a 5.00% higher bonus than the median male employee. The mean bonus for women (£1,121.15) was 6.28% higher than the mean for men (£1,054.88).
Figure 4: DCMS gender bonus gap trend
| GPG | Mean bonus GPG | Median bonus GPG |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 17.30% | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 0.20% | -14.30% |
| 2021 | -14.70% | -38.10% |
| 2022 | -0.20% | -8.30% |
| 2023 | -6.28% | -5.00% |
Note: A minus percentage means that the gap favours women i.e in this instance, on average women are receiving higher bonus payments than men.
DCMS continuously aims to ensure a strong gender balance in the values and proportion of those receiving non-consolidated bonuses. Our delegated in year reward scheme has contributed to the improvement in the gender bonus gap and evidence has shown greater inclusivity than having a solely end of year scheme. The scheme empowers a greater number of nominators by allowing anyone to nominate any eligible delegated employee for a reward. The timing of the awards enables recognition to come sooner which is shown to increase engagement. The new scheme uses a consistent set of criteria and fixed reward values.
Summary of actions
The DCMS Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, which was launched in 2020 contains a range of actions to promote inclusion and gender balance and drive change.
For the last 2 years, the department has focused on 3 main actions to improve the gender pay gap, namely;
1. Ensuring that policies & processes promote diversity & inclusion.
2. Continuing to embed the in year reward process launched in 2021.
3. Actively managing the talent pipeline to ensure fair & equal outcomes in career progression.
These interventions have led to reductions in the gender pay gap. Therefore these actions will continue to form the main activity to reduce the DCMS gender pay gap further. DCMS will run further executive coaching offers for female middle managers to support progression to the senior civil service.
Declaration
We confirm that data reported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is accurate and has been calculated according to the requirements and methodology set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.
Sarah Tebbutt, Director for People and Workplace
Susannah Storey, Permanent Secretary
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
4th Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ
www.gov.uk/dcms
November 2023