EMERGING THEMES

The Panel wrote and spoke to a number of stakeholders and asked whether they thought there was a gender pay gap in Jersey and, if so, what factors contributed to it.

Most stakeholders, including the Chief Minister, acknowledged that Jersey does have a gender pay gap and the following common themes were identified as contributing factors:

• Gender stereotypes from school age
• Occupational segregation stemming from subject choice at school
• Unconscious bias in the workplace
• The “glass ceiling” which stops women reaching upper levels in the workplace
• More women taking on domestic commitments
• More women taking on caring responsibilities

GENDER STEREOTYPES & OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION

Gender stereotyping can be defined as how males and females are expected to act, speak, dress and conduct themselves based on their sex. The Panel found that gender stereotyping limits children by presenting them with a specific set of acceptable behaviours which leads to occupational and subject segregation. The perception of school subjects as masculine or feminine can influence subject choice, which is particularly problematic for girls because “feminised jobs” are often lower paid.

Occupational segregation is where some jobs are more typically done by men or women. The Panel found that certain occupations in Jersey are dominated by particular genders. More males than females are in skilled trades and managerial roles and more females than males are in the caring and administrative roles. These roles tend to be the lower paid occupation groups.

UNCONSCIOUS BIAS

Unconscious bias is automatic associations based on gender, which often stem from gender stereotypes, traditions and norms. An example of unconscious bias is that it is often assumed that a woman in her 20s will, when she is in her 30s, have a child. The Panel has found that unconscious bias is one of the main causes of a gender pay gap and better training is required to ensure that organisations do not draw on gendered language or value a particular personality or leadership trait over others.

Organisations can implement a number of practices to make recruitment practices more gender neutral. The Panel understands that the Government of Jersey is planning to change its recruitment practices and has suggested that names, age, gender and education are removed from CVs to ensure candidates most skilled for the role are recruited.

THE GLASS CEILING

The glass ceiling is an invisible but real barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women (or minorities) from reaching upper level positions. The Panel received evidence that women are unable to advance past a certain point in their professions, regardless of their qualifications. In the public sector for example, there is a higher proportion of women working in jobs that pay less than £80,000 and a greater proportion of men on salaries higher than £80,000.

The Panel found that there is a glass ceiling in education. Figures obtained from the Department show that there are over twice as many female teachers than male teachers, but when it comes to the most senior role of head teacher, there are more male heads than female heads. With more women than men working in our schools, the Panel would have expected to see a greater proportion becoming head teachers.

DOMESTIC COMMITMENTS

A higher proportion of females than males take on domestic commitments, thereby impacting on the availability of females in the workforce. Figures provided by Statistics Jersey show that, between the ages of 30 - 44, a higher proportion of women are looking after the home. The Panel found that the influx at ages 30 - 44 could correlate with the average age women are having children in Jersey, which is 32 years.

This led the Panel to question what impact unpaid domestic work has on the economy. As currently measured, Gross Domestic Product does not take this work into account, and so the Panel has recommended that the Government of Jersey should collect data on the economic value of domestic work including childcare, cooking, shopping, housework, odd jobs and gardening.

CARING RESPONSIBILITIES

A higher proportion of women either choose or need to leave and re-enter the workforce in order to meet family responsibilities which may result in a loss of seniority or progression opportunities. The Panel found that employment legislation in Jersey could have contributed to women having to take on more childcare duties as, under current law, mothers are provided with a longer period of parental leave than fathers. Proposals due to be re-lodged by the Social Security Minister, however, aim to address this issue by putting men and women on a more equal footing in terms of parental leave.