Gender Pay Gap Report 2025-26

• Background
• Methodology
• Scope
• Definitions
• The Workforce Profile
• Key findings
• Conclusions
• Action plan/summary
• Timescales of achieving the action plan

The Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations require all employers with 250 or more employees to report their Gender Pay Gap annually, publishing on a national Government website as well as the organisations website. The Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations apply to employers in the Public and Private sector.

In addition to these new regulations, employers in the public sector are subject to a specific public sector equality duty in respect of their functions – The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.

The regulations apply to all employers with 250 or more employees on the “snapshot” date. The “snapshot” date for the public sector is 31 March each year. Therefore, the authority is required to publish its gender pay gap for each year on the Portsmouth City Council (PCC) website and on a government website, no later than 30 March of the following year. So, for the snapshot date of March 2025, the findings must be published no later than 30 March 2026.

The purpose of Gender Pay Gap reporting is to achieve greater gender equality across the UK and increase pay transparency by narrowing and eventually eliminating the pay differential between men and women.

The national gender pay gap for full-time employees declined from 7.1% in April 2024 to 6.9% in April 2025, meaning that average pay for full-time female employees is 6.9% lower than for full-time male employees. This remains below the pre-pandemic level of 9.0% recorded in 2019.

For all employees (full and part-time combined), the gender pay gap was 12.8% in April 2025, down from 13.1% in April 2024. This change reflects the longer-term trend of a gradual decline.

It is important to note that the Coronavirus pandemic and the furlough scheme had an artificial impact on the national gender pay gap figures for 2020 and 2021. Therefore, long-term trends provide a more reliable measure than year-on-year changes.

Overall, the gender pay gap has been slowly declining over time, falling by approximately 25% over the last decade for both full-time and all employees combined. However, the Government considers that this rate of progress is too slow and has committed to closing the gender pay gap within a generation.

Addressing the gender pay gap remains challenging, as pay inequality between men and women is influenced by both short-term labour market conditions and longer-term social norms.

PCC is committed to the principle of equal pay for all employees by ensuring that it meets the requirements of the Equality Act. To achieve this, PCC uses a job evaluation system scheme (JESS) to assess the value of all jobs across the organisation, which provides evidence in support of the banding of each job within our grading structure. Salaries are paid according to band and incremental annual progression within the band occurs irrespective of employee’s gender.

Whilst the data on the age breakdown is not a statutory requirement under the legislation, this data has been included at the request of our council Members. The ONS publishes national data on the age breakdown and the same categorisation and calculations used by the ONS have been replicated for the breakdown of the data for Portsmouth City Council.

Sources:

Gender pay gap in the UK – Office for National Statistics

The Regulations clearly define the methodology for the gender pay gap calculations and reporting guidelines.

The regulations require employers to publish the following information:

• The mean gender pay gap;
• The median gender pay gap;
• The mean bonus pay gap;
• The median bonus pay gap;
• And the relative proportions of male and female employees in each quartile pay band.

The Regulations detail how to conduct the calculations, and these are based on how the ONS undertakes their calculations to allow for comparisons to be made nationally against the data.

All public sector organisations are required to publish their reports by no later than 30 March of the following year.

The report will be based on hourly pay rates as of 31 March 2025 and on bonuses paid between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

The regulations create two categories of people who must be considered in the gender pay gap reporting: relevant employees and relevant full-pay employees.

For the purposes of gender pay gap reporting, the definition of an employee is that which is given in the Equality Act 2010. This is an extended definition which includes:

• Employees (those with a contract of employment)
• Workers with a contract to do work or provide services for your organisation.
• Some self-employed people who must personally conduct the work they do for you.

The gender pay gap calculation is based on the number of individual employees and not the full-time equivalent. This means that each part-time employee counts as one employee.

Apprentices, seasonal, temporary, or casual employees and zero hours workers are included if they fall within the reference period created by the snapshot date.

Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is a measure of labour market or workplace disadvantage, expressed in terms of a comparison between males and females’ average hourly rates of pay. The gap can be measured in a variety of ways, and it is important to understand how the gap is being measured. The hourly rates of pay, excluding overtime are used to take account of the fact that more males than females work full-time. Overtime is excluded because it is recognised that male employees work more overtime than female employees due to female’s caring responsibility and part-time nature of work.

Equal Pay

Equal pay means that there should be no difference in the contractual terms of a female and a male doing equal work, who both work for the same employer. For further details please refer to the Equality Act 2010.

The difference between Gender Pay Gap and Equal Pay

The most significant difference between equal pay and the gender pay gap is that equal pay requires one to scrutinise information at the level of the individual employee (to satisfy that there is equal pay for equal work). Gender pay gap reporting asks you to examine aggregate data.

Mean Gender Pay Gap

The difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.

To calculate the mean

The mean is an average of all the numbers in a dataset, that is, you must add up all the numbers and then divide the result by how many numbers you are dealing with. To find the mean hourly rate for PCC’s full-pay relevant male employees, all the hourly rates will be added together and then divided by the total number of full-pay relevant male employees. This will give the “mean” hourly rate.

Median Gender Pay Gap

The difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that for female full-pay relevant employees.

To calculate the median

The median is the numerical value which splits the top 50% and the bottom 50%. To find the median, all the hourly rates for all employees will be listed in numerical order; if there are an odd number of values, the median is the number in the middle. If there is an even number, the median is the mean of the two central numbers.

Bonus

Bonus pay means any remuneration that is in the form of money, vouchers, securities, securities options, or interests in securities and relates to profit sharing, productivity, performance, incentive, or commission. Non-consolidated bonuses are included. Long service awards with a monetary value are also included.

For PCC, this captures Long Service Awards and one-off honoraria payments. Regular honoraria payments are excluded from “bonus” calculations and included in “ordinary pay”.

Mean Bonus Gap

The difference between the mean bonus pay paid to male relevant employees and that paid to female relevant employees.

Median Bonus Gap

The difference between the median bonus pay paid to male relevant employees and that paid to female relevant employees.

Bonus Proportions

The proportions of male and female relevant employees who were paid bonus pay during the relevant period.

Quartile Pay Bands

The proportions of male and female full-pay relevant employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands.

Quartiles

A quartile is one of the three points that divide the population of data into four equal parts. In the context of gender pay gap reporting, the four quartile pay bands are created by dividing the total number of full-pay relevant employee into four equal parts.

Measures

A positive measure, for example 18%, indicates the extent to which females earn, on average, less per hour than their male counterparts.

A negative measure, for example -18%, indicates the extent to which females earn, on average, more per hour than their male counterparts. This may happen, for example, if PCC employ a high proportion of males in low-paid part-time work, and/or the senior and higher paid employees are female.

The gender pay gap data supplied is correct for all staff, including school staff, in post with PCC on 31 March 2025 who earned their full-pay (relevant employees). At that time, there were 4690 relevant full pay employees, which is made up by 3190 females (68%) and 1500 (32%) males. Out of the 4690 relevant employees, 30 are covered by TUPE regulations (4 are male and 26 are female).

The profile of the workforce has been broken down into the proportion of full time and part time employees, whereby 1203 (47%) of males are full time* ^[1] and 297 (14%) are part time compared to 1366 (53%) of females are full time and 1824 (86%) are part time.

The profile of the workforce has been further categorised by age range. The age ranges used are based on those as determined by the ONS data. Workforce composition by gender and age is a key factor in pay gap calculations. It influences how pay gaps are calculated and provides insight into representation patterns that may affect equality outcomes over time.

As our workforce is predominantly female (68%), the data reflects a higher proportion of women across all age categories compared to men, except in the 60+ age category for full-time employment. However, the number of females in this age category is increasing annually. For part-time employment in the 60+ category, the numbers for both men and women remain consistent, with women continuing to represent the larger share.

From 2021 to 2024, there was a consistent year-on-year increase in full-time employees and a corresponding decrease in part-time employees, a trend seen across both female and male categories. However, in the 2025 reporting period, the data shows an overall decrease in female full-time employees and an increase in part-time employees for both women and men.

Changes in the balance between full-time and part-time employment can influence gender pay gap figures, as part-time roles typically have lower average hourly pay. Understanding these patterns helps assess potential impacts on pay equality and workforce planning.

*Full time is as determined by ONS as those working 30 hours or more.

Fulltime Female vs Male

Part time female vs male

In addition to the above age profile, using the same methodology as applied by the ONS, the gender pay gap has been broken down by age and full-time/part-time hours. In accordance with the ONS data, full time hours have been classed as 30 hours or more. The Gender pay gap by age full-time/part-time is based on the median salary within each data category (as per the ONS data) and uses a separate calculation for part time and full time per age range.

The data in the table below looks at the gender pay gap for people of a similar age and working pattern, unlike the statutory data which looks at the gender pay gap based on the median difference between men and women. Therefore, the gender pay gap within each age bracket does not relate to the overall median figure because that is based on all relevant employees across the council, whereas the age gender gap is based on each individual age groupings and working patterns within those age brackets.

The table and graph above show the gender pay gap by age band for 2025. A negative figure (e.g., -2.00%) indicates that, on average, females earn more per hour than their male counterparts. A positive figure (e.g., 2.00%) indicates that females earn less per hour than males.

Overall, the data shows that both full-time and part-time female employees earn more than their male counterparts in most age groups, with some exceptions.

• 16–21 age group (full-time): The gap has steadily increased from 1.96% in 2022 to 8.49% in 2025, meaning young women now earn significantly less than men in this category.
• 30–39 age group: Full-time female employees consistently earn more than males, while part-time females earn less.
• 40–49 and 50–59 age groups: Both full-time and part-time female employees earn more than their male counterparts.
• 60 and over: The pay gap for full-time employees has shifted dramatically, decreasing from 11.05% in 2022 to -14.94% in 2025, meaning women now earn substantially more than men. There continues to be no pay gap for part-time employees in this age group.

These changes may be influenced by several factors, including recruitment patterns and pay band positioning. For example, new female employees often start at the lower end of the pay band due to breaks in employment, while long-serving employees who move from full-time to part-time retain their higher hourly rate.

Where gaps exist, they may reflect the impact of women taking time out of the labour market and returning in part-time roles, often due to caring responsibilities such as childcare.

Mean Gender Pay Gap

The mean gender pay gap—the difference between the average hourly rate of male and female full-pay relevant employees—is 4.69%. This compares to 5.62% in March 2024, down from 8.63% in 2023, 9.27% in 2022, 9.12% in 2021, and 10.99% in 2020. Apart from 2022, which was likely impacted by the pandemic and furlough scheme, the long-term trend shows a steady decrease.

The average hourly rate during the reporting period was £20.24 for males and £19.29 for females, resulting in the 4.69% gap. The reduction from last year is largely due to an increase in the female mean hourly rate, partly attributed to the application of the Real Living Wage and cost-of-living pay rises. These increases have had a greater impact on lower pay bands, where more females are employed, improving overall pay parity.

Median Gender Pay Gap

The median gender pay gap—the difference between the midpoint hourly rate for males and females—is 2.69%, down from 7.11% in March 2024. The median hourly rate was £17.46 for males and £16.99 for females, reflecting a further narrowing of the gap.

Mean and Median Pay Gap summary

PCC’s mean and median gender pay gaps compare favourably with national figures. According to ONS data for 2025, the average gap for all employees (full-time and part-time) is 12.8%, down from 13.1% in 2024.

PCC operates a job evaluation scheme and has a clear policy of paying employees equally for the same or equivalent work, regardless of gender. To support this, the council:

• Provides regular job evaluation training for employees involved in the process.
• Evaluates job roles and pay bands as necessary to maintain a fair structure.

The council is confident that its gender pay gap does not result from unequal pay for equivalent work. Instead, it reflects the distribution of roles within the organisation and the salaries those roles attract.

Across the UK economy, men are more likely to hold senior positions, while women are more likely to work in front-line roles at lower pay levels. Men also tend to occupy technical, mechanical, and IT-related roles, which attract higher pay.

Unpaid care work, including childcare and adult care, is disproportionately undertaken by women, impacting career progression. Women are more likely to work part-time, and part-time roles generally offer lower pay. Additionally, women often seek jobs closer to home or with greater flexibility due to caring responsibilities, which may limit access to higher-paying opportunities. Over time, this widens the gap as men progress into higher-paid roles while women remain in lower-paid positions, reduce hours or leave employment.

Within PCC, the gender pay gap exists partly because 68% of the workforce is female, with a significant proportion in lower quartile pay bands and fewer in senior roles although this is gradually changing.

PCC’s gender pay gap is lower than the national average due to several factors:

• Commitment to adopt the Real Living Wage annually.
• Promotion of flexible and hybrid working policies for all employees.
• Robust equal opportunities and diversity policies, with clear escalation processes.
• Use of the JESS job evaluation scheme to ensure equal pay for equal work.

Mean Bonus Pay Gap

The mean bonus pay gap is 21.90%, indicating that, on average, males received higher bonus payments than females during the reporting period. In March 2024 this was 22.79%.

Median Bonus Pay Gap

The median bonus pay gap is -47.81%, a significant shift from last year’s figure of 46.24%. This negative value means that the midpoint bonus payment for females is higher than that for males, suggesting a reversal in the distribution compared to the previous year.

Bonus Proportions

During the 12-month reporting period:

• 62 males (4.08%) out of 1,518 received bonus pay.
• 91 females (2.75%) out of 3,315 received bonus pay.

This shows that a slightly higher proportion of males received bonuses compared to females, consistent with last year’s trend.

Bonus pay gap summary

• The mean and median bonus pay gaps are 21.90% and -47.81%, respectively.
• A total of 91 females received a bonus compared to 62 males, similar to last year.
• Average bonus payments were £682 for males and £596 for females.

 Bonus values ranged:

• For females: £23 to £5,100
• For males: £72 to £24,000

The overall average bonus payment for males remains higher than that for females. However, the negative median gap suggests that most female bonus payments cluster at a higher level than most male payments, while a small number of very high male bonuses significantly increase the mean gap. These outliers likely distort the mean figure, making it less representative of the typical experience.

Quartile Pay Bands

The proportions of male and female full-pay relevant employees in each quartile are shown below (Totals differ slightly due to distribution across hourly rate divides):

Quartile Pay Band Summary

For there to be no gender pay gap, there would need to be an equal ratio of males to females in each quartile. However, within the council, 71% of employees in the lower quartile are female and 29% are male, a ratio that remains consistent year on year. This trend continues across most quartiles.

Portsmouth City Council remains committed to reducing the gender pay gap and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion across its workforce. Our gender pay gap compares favourably with the national average, reflecting progress over time. However, we recognise that further progress is essential to ensure fairness and opportunity for all employees.

Our analysis confirms that the gap does not arise from unequal pay for equal work. PCC’s robust job evaluation and grading systems safeguard pay equity. Instead, the gap reflects structural factors such as occupational segregation, part-time working patterns, and career progression trends, which disproportionately affect women. These patterns are consistent with national trends and are influenced by caring responsibilities and the availability of flexible roles.

To address these challenges, PCC will continue to:

• Embed Inclusive Practices: Ensure all employees can make career and work-life choices free from discrimination by promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion across all policies and practices.
• Promote Flexible and Hybrid Working: Continue to champion flexible and hybrid working arrangements to support employees with caring responsibilities and improve work-life balance.
• Strengthen Talent Development and Succession Planning: Develop clear career pathways, leadership programmes, and succession planning initiatives to increase representation of women and underrepresented groups in senior roles.
• Enhance Workforce Data Quality and Transparency: Improve data collection and reporting systems to enable accurate monitoring of pay, progression trends, and diversity metrics, supporting evidence-based decision-making.
• Expand Employee Engagement Initiatives: Introduce and grow engagement programmes such as reverse mentoring and a Women’s Network to foster inclusion, share experiences, and identify barriers to progression.
• Prepare for Future Reporting Requirements: Begin preparations for Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting and explore intersectional analysis to understand overlapping inequalities and inform targeted interventions.

Our long-term ambition aligns with the national goal to eliminate the gender pay gap within a generation. To achieve this, PCC will implement measurable actions, monitor progress, and report annually on outcomes. We will also engage employees and stakeholders through regular updates, reinforcing our commitment to building a fair, inclusive, and diverse organisation

PCC remains committed to reducing the gender pay gap and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the workforce. Our approach focuses on embedding inclusive practices, supporting career progression, and improving data transparency.

Key Priorities and Actions:

Stage 3: Evaluation of progress 

• Monitor current pay systems to identify and address any systematic issues and prevent any distortion of the data used for pay reporting purposes.
• Use the trend analysis to inform and address future training needs of managers and employees.

The action plan will be implemented over the next 12 months and reviewed on an ongoing basis, and annually in comparison with the published results of the Gender Pay Gap report, each March.