DCMS gender pay gap report 2024
Published 17 December 2024
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Introduction
The Department for Culture, Media and 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 2024 snapshot date was 974, a decrease of 736 since the previous year. 971 employees were identified as ‘full pay relevant employees’ as set out in the regulations, and included in the calculations. This included 58.3% women. On the same date, the Department had 70 full time equivalent Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in scope, 55.7% 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 not 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 2024
2.4% Mean Reduced from 2.9% in 2023
2.5% Median Increased from 1.6% in 2023
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 2.9% to 2.4% 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 2024. 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: 2024 Pay quartiles
| Gender | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 39.1% | 60.9% | 100% |
| Q2 | 42.4% | 57.6% | 100% |
| Q3 | 41.7% | 58.3% | 100% |
| Q4 | 43.6% | 56.4% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS PB4 (1) | 0.0% | 100% | 100% |
| SCS PB3 (3) | 33.3% | 66.7% | 100% |
| SCS PB2 (15) | 40% | 60% | 100% |
| SCS PB1 (51) | 47.1% | 52.9% | 100% |
| Grade 6 (121) | 45.5% | 54.5% | 100% |
| Grade 7 (323) | 42.1% | 57.9% | 100% |
| SEO (109) | 40.4% | 59.6% | 100% |
| HEO (246) | 39.4% | 60.6% | 100% |
| EO (101) | 41.6% | 58.4% | 100% |
| AO/AA (4) | 50.0% | 50.0% | 100% |
Analysis of gender pay gap
As observed in 2022 and 2023, 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 all 4 grades at this level. However, women continue to be over-represented in the lower pay quartile (Figure 1). Although women are well represented at senior grades, a number utilise DCMS’ popular job sharing and flexible working options, which may impact the data.
The median gender pay gap is based on the wage of the middle-earning man compared to the middle-earning woman. Unlike the mean, the median pay gap can fluctuate more due to factors such as more women working part-time and variations in professional allowances. The mean gender pay gap, which is calculated using the average hourly pay of men and women, has consistently declined and stands at 2.4% in 2024. The median gender pay gap rose slightly, from 1.6% in 2023 to 2.5% in 2024, although it remains significantly lower than the 2018 figure of 22.90%.
Our current turnover rate is 19.3% (August 2024). One of DCMS’ strategies for retention of staff involves helping employees progress up the pay band as well as offering professional allowances for skilled new joiners. This may impact the median score, as it is dependent on the individual/s circumstances at the moment of data capture, therefore holding less statistical significance as a reflection of the organisation over time.
Figure 3: DCMS gender pay gap trend
| GPG | Mean GPG | Median GPG |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 7.5% | 22.9% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | 16.6% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | 10.6% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | 9.8% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | 2.5% |
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, dropped in 2023 and has increased slightly this year. We observe a positive trend for the mean which has steadily declined since 2021.
Gender bonus gap analysis
5.2% Mean Reduced from 6.4% in 2022
0% Median Reduced from 5.00% 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 both in year awards and an end of year performance award, which is paid at a set value depending on grade and performance level.
Figure 4: Proportion of women and men receiving a bonus (delegated and SCS staff)
| Year | % men receiving a bonus | % women receiving a bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 38.20% | 45.80% |
| 2019 | 60.04% | 60.32% |
| 2020 | 56.00% | 58.30% |
| 2021 | 54.40% | 49.90% |
| 2022 | 81.10% | 79.50% |
| 2023 | 77.43% | 77.28% |
| 2024 | 78.20% | 75.00% |
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.
A recent review of the scheme found that it is very popular amongst DCMS staff, and based on their feedback we streamlined the nomination process and made further improvements to the guidance. The scheme will be reviewed regularly to ensure continuous improvement.
In 2023, the median female employee received a 5.00% higher bonus than the median male employee. In 2024, this is now equal at 0%. The mean bonus for women in 2023 was 6.4% higher than the mean for men, and in 2024 this has reduced to a 5.2% gap in favour of women.
Figure 5: DCMS gender bonus gap trend (delegated and SCS staff)
| GPG | Mean bonus GPG | Median bonus GPG |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.20% | -14.30% |
| 2021 | -14.70% | -38.10% |
| 2022 | -0.20% | -8.30% |
| 2023 | -6.4% | -5.00% |
| 2024 | -5.20% | 0.00% |
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.
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 4 years, the department has focused on 4 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.
4. An annual deep dive of recruitment statistics to monitor the application journey of diverse candidates.
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.
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 and Sport
4th Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
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