NASUWT COMMENTS ON GENDER PAY GAP REPORT FROM INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES

Commenting on the latest report by Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, said:

“The findings of this Report on the gender pay gap are disturbing, yet sadly unsurprising.

“The NASUWT has carried out extensive research and has found that far too often women in the workplace can expect to be paid less than men, and this is certainly the case in teaching.

“As a result of the excessive flexibilities and increased discretion over pay matters given to schools, evidence shows that this has opened the door to increasing sex discrimination in relation to pay and progression.

“NASUWT analysis of data shows that in local authority primary schools, men now earn over £2,600 more than women. In local authority secondary schools, the gap is over £2,400.

“The additional pay deregulation and flexibilities in academies in England has led to the gap in primary academies between men and women being over £4,700 and in secondary academies over £3,200.

“Despite three quarters of teachers being women, they remain significantly under-represented in promoted posts.

“Our research has found shocking examples where women teachers have asked for flexible working and been told she has no right. In fact a recent NASUWT study found that 45% of those female teachers who had made a flexible working request had had their request declined.

“These poor practices flourish because the Government has created a climate in which equality and the rights of workers are seen as unimportant.”