STV Group, which broadcasts news across Scotland, has pledged to achieve gender balance among its highest earners within five years after revealing a mean gender pay gap of 22.8 per cent.
The group reported a mean bonus gap of 56 per cent, although a slightly higher proportion of female employees (17 per cent to 15 per cent) received a bonus payment during the reporting period up to 5 April last year.
STV, which operates the STV channel and holds the ITV franchise for Central Scotland, attributed its gender pay gap to the fact that it has a higher proportion (66 per cent) of men in senior management and leadership roles.
Removing these roles from figures would result in a mean gender pay gap of 13.9 per cent, it said.
Throughout the rest of the organisation, which totals 538 employees across six UK locations, the gender split is 49 per cent men and 51 per cent women.
To reach its target of gender parity in the upper quartile of earners within five years, the company said it will “continue to progress a programme of measures to improve diversity and inclusion”.
This includes improving diversity in recruitment, focusing on opportunities for accelerated career development, extending family friendly policies and holding training to raise awareness of unconscious bias.
Other factors contributing to the company’s gender pay gap include differing levels of skills and experience in employees undertaking otherwise comparable roles, the impact of market factors during recruitment and salary progression arising from length of service.
Chief executive officer Simon Pitts said: “We are committed to ensuring that STV is a place where men and women have an equal opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.
“Our mean gender pay gap of 22.8 per cent shows we are not where we need to be, particularly at the top of our organisation where, in common with many other organisations, there aren’t enough senior women.
“To address this we are setting the target of achieving gender balance amongst our top 25 per cent of earners within five years.
“We will deliver this by focusing on how we recruit, on training, and on accelerated career development.”
STV’s median gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay is 17.3 per cent, and its median bonus gap is 34 per cent.
Companies with more than 250 employees have been given a deadline to publish their gender pay gap data for the first time by midnight tonight.
ITV reported a mean gender pay gap of 16.4 per cent and parent company ITN revealed a pay difference of 19.6 per cent, favouring men.
Picture: STV
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