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RTÉ reports gender pay gap of 13%

RTÉ said more work was needed to ensure equal gender representation at senior levels
RTÉ said more work was needed to ensure equal gender representation at senior levels

RTÉ has reported a median gender pay gap of 13.03% in favour of men.

This reduces to 6.79% when roles with overtime are excluded.

The broadcaster said it has a mean, or average, gender pay gap of 11.55% which reduces to 10% when roles with overtime are excluded.

A median gender pay gap of 17% in favour of women exists among part-time staff.

The mean pay gap is the difference between the average hourly rate of pay for women, compared to the average hourly rate of pay for men whereas the median pay gap represents the difference in hourly pay between the middle-placed woman and the middle-placed man

RTÉ conducted a review of gender equality in 2017 which revealed a pay gap of 4%, however today's report used different methods of calculation.

RTÉ's gender pay gap report relates to employees only and so does not include some of the broadcaster's biggest stars who are contractors.

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average wages of men and women.

The national gender pay gap in Ireland is estimated to be 11.3% according to Eurostat figures from 2019, compared to an EU average of 13%.

Under new legislation, companies across Ireland were required to begin publishing information on their gender pay gaps from 1 December.

Firms with 250 or more employees were asked to select a date in June this year as their 'relevant date' on which to base their reports.

They were then given six months to publish their findings.

Where a pay gap is found to exist, the employer is obliged to set out why it exists and any proposed measures to eliminate or reduce the pay gap.

RTÉ chose 30 June 2022 as its "snapshot date".

In a statement today, the broadcaster said the data demonstrates that there is more to do to create greater gender representation across roles traditionally associated with males and/or females, with males more likely to work additional hours through paid overtime and premium pay.

It also said that more work was needed to ensure equal gender representation at senior levels within the organisation.

"A pay gap amongst part-time staff in favour of women shows that flexible working policies in RTÉ are supporting women to combine flexible working with careers across all levels," according to the statement.

RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to publish comprehensive data relating to the gender pay gap in RTÉ.

"Gender balance within RTÉ's overall workforce, across roles and output, continues to be a high priority for the organisation and RTÉ is committed to being a fair, flexible and inclusive employer that truly reflects the diversity of Ireland today," Ms Forbes said.

"We are working with Willis Towers Watson (WTW) on a full evaluation of the role and grading structure in RTÉ, the outputs of which will help inform decisions going forward as we develop a job and career framework that will create clarity and transparency on how our employees can develop their career journey in RTÉ."

"RTÉ's aim is to lower the gender pay gap we currently have, and we will work to address the challenges in rapidly changing our workforce to better reflect gender across all career paths," she added.

In 2017, those earning a full-time equivalent of €90,000 or over in RTÉ were split 68% to 32% in favour of men.

RTÉ says this is now split 60% to 40% in favour of men following efforts to recruit and promote more women into senior roles.

The median gender pay gap within management grades across RTÉ is 7.1%.

The RTÉ gender pay gap varies across different divisions of the organisation.

In Operations, which includes staging, cameras and lighting, there is a 17.7% pay gap.

In News and Current Affairs, a 5.7% pay gap was recorded.

Other organisations have been reporting their gender pay gaps throughout the month of December.

Dublin City Council published its report today, which showed a mean gender pay gap of 4.8% and a median gender pay gap of 5.65%.

The ESB has reported an average gender pay gap of 10.9% while An Post recently reported a zero gender pay gap for the second year in a row.