NDA group gender pay gap report: 2023 to 2024
Published 28 March 2025
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Across the NDA group, our leaders are committed to creating great places to work and inclusive working environments. This includes ensuring we have female representation at all levels across our organisations and supporting women in their professional growth.
This report deals with figures from 2023/24 and summarises the gender pay gap for the NDA group as a whole, and within the individual organisations that make up the group:
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
- Sellafield Limited
- Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) (Magnox division and Dounreay division)
- Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) (Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) and Radioactive Waste Management (RWM))
- Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS)
For the purpose of this report and some historical reasons some of our operating companies are detailed as separate organisations.
What is a gender pay gap?
A gender pay gap is the difference in the pay between all men and women in a workforce. In April 2017, the government introduced gender pay gap reporting for all companies with more than 250 employees.
This report shows the gap on a mean (average when you add up all the numbers and divide them by the number of values) and median (mid-point when all of the numbers are listed in numerical order) basis.
Gender pay is different to equal pay. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value.
NDA group gender pay gap:
The average 2023-2024 gender pay gap when looking across the whole of the NDA group is 11.8% mean and 16.4% median. Our average has increased slightly due to an upturn in the Sellafield’s mean and median figures. Changes at the bottom and top of the organisations can result in significant percentage changes in the calculations on a year-on-year basis, with those OpCos with lower employee numbers more impacted.
The group’s gender split is 31.7% female (up 1.5% on last year) and 68.3% male.
NDA
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 357 | 55.7% | 44.3% |
NDA gender pay gap
| Pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| NDA gender pay gap | 31.5% | 29.9% |
| NDA gender bonus gap | 53.2% | 51.1% |
NDA pay by quartiles
Women make up 79.8% of the lower quartile of the NDA pay and 25% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female NDA employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male % | Female % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 20.2% | 79.8% |
| Lower middle quartile | 55.1% | 44.9% |
| Upper middle quartile | 71.4% | 28.6% |
| Upper quartile | 75% | 25% |
Sellafield:
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 11,246 | 68.5% | 31.5% |
Sellafield gender pay gap
| Pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| Sellafield gender pay gap | 13.6% | 19.6% |
| Sellafield gender bonus gap | 11.7% | 0.0%* |
* SL median bonus is 0% because of a flat rate bonus paid to 98% of the workforce
Sellafield pay by quartiles
Women make up 47% of the lower quartile of the Sellafield Ltd pay and 19% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female Sellafield Ltd employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male % | Female % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 53% | 47% |
| Lower middle quartile | 60% | 40% |
| Upper middle quartile | 80% | 20% |
| Upper quartile | 81% | 19% |
NRS Magnox
NRS Magnox gender pay gap
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2,710 | 74% | 26% |
| NRS Dounreay pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| Magnox gender pay gap | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Magnox gender bonus gap | 6.2% | 0.0% |
NRS Magnox pay by quartiles
Women make up 20.2% of the lower quartile of the Magnox Ltd pay and 27.9% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female Magnox Ltd employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male% | Female% |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 79.9% | 20.1% |
| Lower middle quartile | 71.2% | 28.8% |
| Upper middle quartile | 74% | 26% |
| Upper quartile | 72.1% | 27.9% |
NRS Dounreay
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1,377 | 67.1% | 32.9% |
| NRS Dounreay pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| Magnox gender pay gap | 8.0% | 7.0% |
| Magnox gender bonus gap | 16.4% | 9.7% |
NRS Dounreay pay by quartiles
Women make up 37.9 % of the lower quartile of the DSRL pay and 24.8% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female DSRL employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male% | Female% |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 62.1% | 37.9% |
| Lower middle quartile | 65.3% | 34.7% |
| Upper middle quartile | 68.5% | 31.5% |
| Upper quartile | 75.2% | 24.8% |
NWS Low Level Waste Repository
NWS LLWR gender pay gap
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 427 | 48.2% | 51.8% |
NWS LLWR gender pay gap
| Pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| NWS LLWR gender pay gap | 11.5% | 17.0% |
| NWS LLWR gender bonus gap | 27.7% | 0.0% |
NWS LLWR pay by quartiles
Women make up 65.4% of the lower quartile of the LLWR pay and 40.6% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female LLWR employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male % | Female% |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 34.6% | 65.4% |
| Lower middle quartile | 42.1% | 57.9% |
| Upper middle quartile | 57.0% | 43.0% |
| Upper quartile | 59.4% | 40.6% |
NWS - Radioactive Waste Management:
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 410 | 51.7% | 48.3% |
NWS RWM gender pay gap
| Pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| RWM gender pay gap | 16.5% | 21.7% |
| RWM gender bonus gap | 26.1% | 35.8% |
NWS RWM pay by quartiles
Women make up 66% of the lower quartile of the RWM pay and 30.4% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female RWM employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male% | Female% |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 34.0% | 66.0% |
| Lower middle quartile | 45.1% | 54.9% |
| Upper middle quartile | 58.3% | 41.7% |
| Upper quartile | 69.6% | 30.4% |
Nuclear Transport Solutions:
| Number of employees | % male employees | % female employees |
|---|---|---|
| 575 | 76.5% | 23.5% |
NTS gender pay gap
| Pay gap: | Mean gap | Median gap |
|---|---|---|
| NTS gender pay gap | 15.0% | 28.0% |
| NTS gender bonus gap | -27.0% | -142.0% |
NTS experienced a significant change in the mean and median bonus figures from 2022-23 to 2023-24 due to one-off payments included in the pay award. However, many males in the DRS division of NTS are ineligible for bonuses.
NTS pay by quartiles
Women make up 45% of the lower quartile of the NTS pay and 17% of the upper quartile. The proportions of male and female NTS employees in each pay quartile:
| Quartile: | Male% | Female% |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 55.0% | 45.0% |
| Lower middle quartile | 78.0% | 22.0% |
| Upper middle quartile | 89.0% | 11.0% |
| Upper quartile | 83.0% | 17.0% |
Addressing the gender pay gap
Across the NDA group, we are continuing to work towards the aim of reducing, and ultimately closing, the gender pay gap.
Cultivating an inclusive environment and developing a diverse workforce is a continuing focus for us, as it is for the wider sector.
We’re proud of some of the work done to address the issues causing the gender pay gap such as targeted recruitment and progression.
We have also looked at other elements that create barriers for women entering and developing in the nuclear sector – such as minimising any bias in our processes and flexible working opportunities, and ensuring our workplaces are safe, accessible and promote health and wellbeing, so everyone feels respected, included, and able to perform at their best.
We continue to drive gender diversity in all aspects of our talent acquisition processes with a strong focus on early careers. We are clear in our ambition to attract a diverse workforce, this is about removing barriers, and it is our principle that the best person is appointed.
Developing female leaders
To date nearly 276 women across the group have taken part in our Women’s Development Leadership Programme which was launched in 2021 to support mid-career women to progress into leadership roles.
The impact of the first four cohorts has seen 43 participants being promoted, plus 6 have been seconded and 19 have changed roles.
This continues our commitment to achieving gender balance, focussing on addressing under-representation of women in senior roles and retaining and developing diversity within our talent pipeline.
To date 53 women across 8 cohorts have enrolled onto the NDA group Leadership Academy which launched in March 2021. Overall, 37% of the attendees are women. Additionally, 39.3% of Leadership Academy Promotions, within group, have been female.
Gender balance network and external partnerships
Our NDA group Gender Balance Network has matured, continuing to grow its membership. It plays an active part in developing females and promoting and driving gender diversity. It shares insights from role models, provides mentoring opportunities and supports awareness events. And we have strong partnerships working with The Nuclear Skills Taskforce (NST) and Women in Nuclear.
We chaired the NST D&I working group and have supported events to champion gender across the NDA Group and Nuclear sector.
Supporting women in the workplace
We’re intentionally having more conversations and training about perceived taboo topics. We have held menopause training events, equipping everyone to understand the impact of menopause and how to help and support others. We actively encourage men as well as women to attend.
The network has seen many successes including recent nominations at the menopause friendly employer awards in 2023 & 2024. The network trains menopause champions and has made a digital health app available to employees and their partners, to provide support in the way that best suits them.
Attracting diverse talent
One of our main aims is to inspire and attract a diverse range of individuals into the NDA group and increase the number of people recruited and employed from other underrepresented groups: ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ and disabled people,
We use market research to understand diversity across Universities and Colleges, allowing us to target inclusive talent pools. This has had a positive impact on our NDA group graduate and Energus apprentice hires.
We have developed inclusive job adverts and inclusive job descriptions free from gender biased language and we piloted a small groupwide intern programme to attract candidates with disabilities. This is currently being replicated in 2023 to 2024 based on its success.