The voluntary system of gender pay reporting was always the intention of the Equality Act, with a mandatory approach recommended only if employers didn’t take up the initiative.
Regardless of whether audits are mandatory or not, the current equal pay legislation clearly still applies and ultimately it’s only actual claims for unequal pay that will put the pressure on employers in the private sector to make sure they’re compliant. However, claims like this are less likely to happen in the current economic conditions, where most people are generally happy just to be employed.
I’m not sure employers are taking the inequality in pay seriously enough just yet. In the main, the gender pay gaps are mainly due to occupational segregation rather than deliberate discrimination. This issue of why there are more male chief execs and more female receptionists is a complex one and will take a long time to change.
The Equality Bill is a step forwards, but it will take pressure from the media, women’s groups, and claimants to bring it further into the public eye.
