Developing a new methodology to tackle gender pay gaps

SocietyBusiness & FinanceUniversity

Developing a new methodology to tackle gender pay gaps

Gender paygaps are an enduring problem in the UK and beyond. Using King’s College London as an initial case study, this project intends to develop a methodology to measure institutional gender pay gaps in a way that directly supports ways of addressing them.

The project intends to combine econometric analysis of panel data with qualitative interviews. The econometric modelling will explain how gender pay gaps are shaped by roles, productivity, promotions and seniority, thereby identifying `unexplained’ gaps, while the qualitative component will yield insights into these unexplained gaps by examining why and how pay negotiations and promotion applications (and their outcomes) vary by gender.

The research will be coupled with strategic recommendations for institutional policies around pay, promotion and retention, so as to develop concrete 3- to 5-year plans to shrink pay gaps that are guided by empirical modelling.

Methods

Review existing pay gap related policies and procedures;
Conduct qualitative interviews to understand experiences of pay negotiation during recruitment or upon promotion, and corresponding institutional processes;
Use multivariate econometric modelling to understand the extent and correlates of pay gaps, both in terms of gender but also other dimensions such as race, and respective intersections.