​Charities should reveal gender pay disparities - regardless of size

All charities should publish details of their gender pay gaps regardless of size, according to leading body.

NCVO – England’s National Council for Voluntary Organisations – says charities go further than new legislation which sets a limit of organisations with 250 or more employees before the data has to be published.

It said that all charities, regardless of size, should consider publishing this data, because it demonstrated a "commitment to transparency and accountability" and helps the organisation to consider how to address any gender pay differences.

Susan Cordingley, director of planning and resources at the NCVO, said: "This is not only the right thing to do and a valuable tool to think harder about how to maximise talent in the workplace, but it is also a way of moving towards increased transparency, which promotes public trust and confidence in charities."

To lead by example, NCVO, which has just 100 employees, published its gender pay gap data showing a 14% difference between average male and female salaries at the umbrella body, in favour of men, mainly because the NCVO employs more women in lower-paid or part-time positions.

Cordingley added: "The pay gap data for many voluntary organisations will be characterised by their employing more women than men, and the same is true for the NCVO.

"Our own data highlights that, while we pay men and women on the same grades identical salaries, there are proportionately more women than men in lower grades and in part-time roles."