Ministers challenged over gender pay gap in Jersey

Monday 22 February 2016

The lack of public figures over the gender pay gap between men and women in Jersey is being challenged by Deputy Louise Doublet.

The Deputy has tabled a question for tomorrow’s States sitting about the absence of data on the difference between earnings for men and women.

Statistics in the UK show that men, on average, earn 19.7% more than women.

That figure is higher than the EU average of 16%, but it has dropped dramatically from the 27.3% recorded in 2003.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron promised last July to “end the gender pay gap in a generation”, making it a key part of his agenda.

He said at the time: “You can’t have true opportunity without equality. There is no place for a pay gap in today’s society and we are delivering on our promises to address it.”

Deputy Doublet’s question for Senator Gorst asks: “Can the Chief Minister advise whether any data is collected that could inform us whether there is a gender pay gap in Jersey?”

The States Statistics Unit publishes data about trends in earning across different sectors in the Island.