Wales leading gender equality charity, Chwarae Teg, is backing calls by the Fawcett Society asking the UK Government to fully reinstate Gender Pay Gap (GPG) reporting in 2021.

The practice, which sees organisations with over 250 employees publish their GPG, was suspended in 2020 due the Covid-19 pandemic. However Chwarae Teg, and other signatories to the Fawcett Society’s statement, are highlighting how GPG reporting is now more important than ever.

October research by Chwarae Teg into the impact of Covid-19 on women emphasised the stark inequalities they have faced during the pandemic. Women are twice as likely as men to be key workers in Wales, more likely to have lost their jobs and have borne the brunt of home-schooling and caring responsibilities.

Helen Antoniazzi, Director of Policy and Communications at Chwarae Teg, said:  

“This month we published our State of the Nation 2021 report which showed a positive drop in the GPG from 14.5% to 11.6% in Wales, but the impact of Covid-19 on this result is yet to be determined and there is a very mixed picture when it comes to gender equality progress overall.

“We would therefore warn the UK Government against the suspension of GPG reporting in 2021. I’d urge organisations to publish their GPG no matter what the result. Data on equality is not something to fear, if we don’t know the scale of the problem then it can’t be tackled.  We need to know the causes so that we can put in place an action plan to address it.

“As we recover from this pandemic there is a clear need for a gender equality focus. If organisations aren’t proactive and take the publication of these figures seriously the implications for women’s employment and career progression could be catastrophic and we’ll be rolling back the years instead of making progress.”