Gamesindustry.biz has examined gender pay gap figures in the video games industry, which have been published by the Government.
The Government launched a gender pay gap database that requires all UK companies with more than 250 employees to publish figures comparing the average pay of men and women across the organisation, including bonus gaps. More than 10,000 companies published data, with more than 1,000 firms reporting on the last day.
GamesIndustry.biz has calculated that the mean hourly rate for women across all large UK businesses is 14.47 per cent lower than men’s. Among the 13 games firms the outlet has found in the database so far, nine showed a greater disparity in pay.
The gender pay gap is not the same as unequal pay, which is against the law. Men and women have the legal right to be paid equally when doing the same or similar work. The gender pay gap is the difference in average pay and bonuses between men and women irrespective of role.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA, said:
“Businesses should use these figures as an opportunity to address the gender pay gap. Diversity is good for business and we should do all we can to recruit, retain and promote talented women.
“We need to increase the supply of female students studying STEM subjects so that there is a larger potential pool of people which games businesses can recruit from. We also need to encourage more applications by women to work in our industry. We additionally need to retain and promote skilled women in our sector.
“Employers can narrow the gender pay gap by exploring measures such as flexible working, recruitment targets and reaching out to young women and girls to encourage them to consider careers in our industry.
“Our video games industry provides creative, fulfilling and innovative work. Our sector is growing at 7 per cent per annum and we need more highly skilled people to join and pursue careers in our sector.”