The Fawcett Society published a briefing on the gender pay gap by ethnicity in Britain in March 2017. The analysis revealed real inequalities, with some minority ethnic groups making strides while pay for others lags behind.
In particular:
- Black African women have seen virtually no progress since the 1990s in closing the gender pay gap with White British men, with a full-time pay gap of 21.4% in the 1990s and 19.6% today. When part-time workers are included this figure rises to 24%.
- Pakistani and Bangladeshi women experience the largest aggregate (i.e. including full-time and part-time workers) gender pay gap at 26.2%.
- Indian women experience the biggest pay gap with men in their ethnic group at 16.1%.
- White British women have a larger pay gap than Black Caribbean women, Indian women or those who identify as ‘White Other’.
- Women who identify as ‘White Other’ are the only group who have seen their pay gap widen since the 1990s from 3.5% to 14% today. However, this is largely because the composition of this group has changed over time and is today largely comprised of Central and Eastern European migrant women, many of whom are in low paid work.
The Fawcett Society also made five recommendations: collect intersectional data; increase pay for the lowest paid; address the unequal impact of caring roles; tackle multiple discrimination; and ensure progression for a diversity of women.
