Women stuck in low-paid roles, gender pay gap study finds

Analysis by Sophie Rhone found that women are concentrated in the lowest-paid roles across many UK employers. The review covered gender pay gap submissions from 37 organisations.

The findings suggest pay gaps are driven less by men and women being paid differently for the same work, and more by who progresses into senior, better-paid roles. In several cases, employers with largely female workforces still recorded wide gaps because women were concentrated in the lower pay quartiles.

Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust was among the starkest examples in the dataset. It reported a median gender pay gap of 52.9%, with women concentrated in lower-paid roles and higher-paid posts more likely to be held by men.

A similar pattern appeared in education and charitable organisations. At Cascade Multi Academy Trust, women accounted for more than 90% of the lowest-paid roles, while at Age UK they made up more than 80% of the lowest pay quartile.

At the top

Male-dominated industries also showed imbalance, but at the other end of the pay scale. At Wessex Eagle, HSL Compliance and Andrew Scott, more than 90% of employees in the highest-paid quartile were men.

The analysis also highlighted differences in bonus payments. City of Bath College reported a 100% bonus gap, meaning men received all bonus value during the reporting period.

Some employers diverged from the broader trend. Country Court Care Homes was among a small number of organisations reporting a reverse pay gap, with women earning more on average than men.

These cases were limited. Across most of the organisations examined, men still came out ahead on average pay measures.

Progression issue

Rhone said the figures pointed to a wider workplace problem around advancement.

“The gender pay gap isn’t just about pay. It’s about who gets access to the highest-paid roles.”

What this data shows is that women are more likely to be concentrated in lower-paid positions, while men are more likely to progress into roles where salaries, bonuses and progression opportunities sit,” said Sophie Rhone, founder of Cupid PR.

She said the pattern persisted even where women formed most of the workforce.

“Even in organisations where women make up the majority of the workforce, that imbalance does not disappear. It simply shifts higher up the ladder. If businesses want to close the gap, they need to look at progression, not just pay,” Rhone said.

Gender pay gap reporting is mandatory for UK employers with 250 or more staff. The median pay gap compares midpoint earnings and is generally seen as less distorted by very high or very low salaries than the mean.

The figures add to a longstanding debate over whether representation alone changes pay outcomes. In the organisations examined, having more women in the workforce did not necessarily produce a narrower gap. In some cases, women remained heavily concentrated in lower-paid jobs.

That pattern was especially visible in sectors often regarded as female-heavy, including education, care and charities, where the data showed a large share of women in the bottom earnings quartile.

By contrast, construction, compliance and other male-dominated sectors showed men occupying most of the highest-paid roles. The distribution across quartiles suggests that progression and access to senior posts remain central to the overall gap.

At City of Bath College, the bonus figures offered a separate measure of disparity, with men receiving all bonus value during the reporting period.