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Gender pay gap narrows at RTÉ

RTÉ said the gender pay gap is driven in large part by grades eligible for overtime payments
RTÉ said the gender pay gap is driven in large part by grades eligible for overtime payments

The gender pay gap at RTÉ has narrowed slightly compared to last year.

The figures, which measure the difference between what men and women earn, show that the mean gender pay gap at RTÉ for 2024 stands at 10.09%, down from the previous year's figure of 11.29%.

The median gender pay gap decreased slightly from 12.75% in 2023 to 12.74% in 2024.

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.

The median pay gap represents the difference in hourly pay between the middle-placed woman and the middle-placed man.

RTÉ said that as in previous years, the gender pay gap is driven in large part by grades eligible for overtime payments.

When the gender pay gap is calculated without those grades, the mean drops from 10.09% to 8.60%, while the median is 5.39%, as opposed to 12.74%.

The broadcaster said that another contributing factor is the proportion of men occupying the highest-paid and senior-level positions.

"This year, while the same number of women are represented in management positions in this reporting period, as in the last reporting period, the breakdown by management level shows the number of women at more senior levels increasing," RTÉ said.

"Fluctuations in RTÉ's headcount throughout the year to accommodate the dynamic business needs of the organisation, particularly in a year with major live sporting events and elections also had an impact on some of the findings and are more challenging to address," it added.

RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said he was encouraged by the trend

The gender pay gap report outlines the measures being taken by RTÉ aimed at addressing the issue including offering a variety of flexible working options, extensive learning and development opportunities and more inclusive hiring processes.

"As explained in the report, the gender pay gap does not mean that men and women are paid differently for the same work, but rather that men and women are represented differently across various roles and pay levels in RTÉ," RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said in a message to staff.

"While the improvements we have made may appear small, I am encouraged to see that the trend in the right direction, particularly given the complexity of RTÉ as an organisation which operates with a very low turnover of staff," Mr Bakhurst said.

Companies above a certain size are required to publish their latest gender pay gap reports in the month of December.

An analysis of last year's figures by PwC revealed that the mean hourly gender pay gap reported across 550 companies was 11.2%, down from 12.6% the previous year.