Further, seven in 10 men (69%) feel comfortable discussing pay compared with 53% of women.
Researchers also revealed that three in 10 (30%) Britons think that their organisation pays men more than women for the same job roles.
Pay transparency is ultimately an issue of trust, Rob Baker, founder of business psychology consultancy Tailored Thinking, told HR magazine.
Baker explained: “Fair pay shouldn’t depend on someone having the confidence, knowledge or negotiating skills to ask for it. A healthy workplace makes conversations about pay feel normal, safe and transparent, and has systems in place to ensure fairness even when people don’t ask.”
These findings are concerning, but sadly not surprising, said Ellie Hodgins, senior director of research EMEA at global non-profit firm Catalyst.
Hodgins told HR magazine: “No one goes to work expecting to do the same job as the man sitting next to them and be paid less. But when women feel less able to talk openly about pay, unfair differences can be harder to identify and challenge. That does not mean women simply need to become more confident.”
Researchers commissioned by Fair Pay UK also found that women are more likely than men to have never discussed pay with a manager (41% vs 31%) or colleague (32% vs 26%).
Baker said: “Employees should understand how decisions about their pay are made, what progression looks like, and where they can go if something doesn’t feel fair.
“Managers also need the skills and confidence to have open, consistent conversations rather than allowing pay to become something that is only discussed behind closed doors or once a year.”
We should not be asking women to find their voice, Becky Newell, managing director at training provider Learnmore, explained to HR magazine, adding: "We should be creating workplaces where their voices are routinely heard, valued and rewarded equally.
“Organisations need to build cultures where discussing pay, ambition and progression is normal.”
“Seeing women succeeding at senior levels helps make progression feel possible. Having the confidence and networks to speak openly about career aspirations can be transformative,” Newell added.
Hodgins said that HR professionals can help address pay inequality by making pay conversations routine, transparent and grounded in clear criteria.
“Negotiation can be one point at which bias enters pay decisions, with behaviour that is rewarded in men sometimes judged differently in women. Structured pay bands and fixed starting salaries reduce the scope for bias and provide a transparent framework, rather than leaving each employee to fight an individual, and potentially personal, battle,” Hodgins explained.
Baker agreed, adding: “When people can see how roles are valued and understand the criteria for progression, we reduce the reliance on individual negotiation and the potential for hidden inequalities to emerge.
“Transparency won't solve every issue around equal pay, but it can remove some of the mystery and make fairness easier to see, discuss and hold organisations accountable for.”
Ultimately, the responsibility for equal pay cannot sit with HR alone, Hodgins stated: “It must be a business-wide priority, backed by senior leaders, with clear accountability built in.
“Transparency helps expose inequity, but organisations must act on what their data reveals to create a workplace in which trust and fairness underpin every pay decision.”
Fair Pay UK commissioned Opinion Matters to survey 2,000 UK workers between 15 and 18 June.
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