A leading Midlands law firm has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the gender pay gap in a new report released on International Women’s Day.
Wright Hassall, based in Leamington, has voluntarily published a new Gender Pay Gap Report which shows that the firm has reduced its median gender pay gap from 40.3 per cent to minus 22 per cent in just four years.
In comparison, the UK average median pay gap in 2023 was 14.3 per cent, while the UK legal sector average median pay gap was 22.7 per cent (based on 2022/2023 gender pay gap data).
The median gender pay gap measures the difference between average hourly earnings of men and women. It is measured by listing male and female salaries in order and comparing the salary of the man and woman in the middle of the list.
Wright Hassall’s data shows that women’s median hourly pay within the firm is 22 per cent higher than men’s.
Wright Hassall, which employs 178 members of staff including 57 males and 121 females, has been actively focusing on reducing its gender pay gap since 2020 as part of the firm’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
During this time, it has also ensured that the firm’s Senior Leadership Team and Partner group is a 50/50 male to female ratio.
Mark Shrimpton, Chief People Officer at Wright Hassall, said: “At Wright Hassall we are committed to building an exceptional workplace, and we’ve been taking action to address our inequalities rather than just talking about them.
“On this International Women’s Day, in the spirit of being open and transparent, we’ve voluntarily published our Gender Pay Gap Report.
“We are delighted to announce that we have reduced our median pay gap to minus 22 per cent and now have a 50/50 ratio of males and females in our most senior positions.
“We’ve achieved this by taking action, monitoring our decisions to make sure that they are fair for everyone, and focusing on creating a flexible workplace and offering equal opportunities for all colleagues.
“I believe that we are one of the only UK law firms – if not the only – which can say we have a negative gender pay gap, and I am extremely proud that we are leading the way in this area.
“We are committed to maintaining our position in the future and we will continue to monitor and publish our gender pay gap information voluntarily.”
Wright Hassall is a full-service award-winning law firm which was established in 1846. The firm’s full Gender Pay Gap Report can be found at https://www.wrighthassall.co.uk/