Gender pay: First for Fife Council as women get higher hourly rate than men

Fife Council’s gender pay gap has changed, and, for the first time ever, women are paid, on average, a higher hourly rate than men.

2019/20 was the first year the local authority’s gender pay gap showed a minus result, according to a recent report presented at a finance meeting this week.

It means that females, on average, receive a higher hourly rate than males in the council.

The figures, contained in a finance and corporate services performance report, show that the gender pay gap currently sits at -0.66 in Fife – compared to +3.9 in Scotland overall last year.

Women, who make up 73 per cent of the workforce, are also continuing to progress into the highest paid five per cent of employees as they sit above the national top quartile from the previous year.

The percentage of the highest paid five per cent employees who are female is at 57.65% – above the national average of 57.05%.

In its report, Fife Council stated: “We would hope to see this upward trend continue facilitated by flexible working practices, career development opportunities and the breaking down of occupational segregation and stereotypes.”

Remembering the girl born a slave who lived free in Fife

At the assets and corporate services sub committee Eileen Rowand, executive director of finance and corporate services said: “The gender pay gap is very positive.

“It’s the first year that women’s hourly rate has actually been higher for the first time. That’s something we should note.”

Cllr Craig Walker, convener of the committee, commented that news was ‘long overdue’ and he congratulated those involved in making sure the council met this target.

Cllr Walker said: “I’ll be more than happy to endorse the progress made on the gender pay gap. That’s long overdue.”

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