Tipperary County Council gender pay gap favours women

Tipperary County Council’s gender pay gap favours women, according to a new report.

The local authority published its annual gender pay gap report on Monday. The report shows a mean gender pay gap of -4.80% and median of -16.60.

This means that on average, women were paid 4.80% more than men, and their median pay was 16.60% higher.

Tipperary County Council said they welcome the opportunity to publish the data which helps them “support an open and inclusive workplace.”

They said following the reports release:

“Our organisation is a place where all employees have the same opportunities for recognition and career development and are treated fairly and equitably at work.”

Mean vs Median

In their report Tipperary County Council explain that mean pay or average can be limited because the figure can be skewed by a small number of higher paid staff.

The median is the midpoint in the data and may provides a ‘typical’ idea of difference.

Tipperary County Council point out that all public sector employees receive the same pay for like work, regardless of gender.

So, a one gender is paid less for the same job, but rather that the gap may indicate more of one gender in certain types of roles.

A negative figure, like those reported in the report, indicate that on average, women occupy higher paid roles than men.

The council as an employer

Tipperary County Council employs around 1,200 people and has 40 elected members. Of those employed by the local authority, 64% are male, and 36 are female.

Full-time employees make up 77% of staff, and 23% are part-time.

Tipperary County Council categorise employees into four “quartiles.”

The report found that men made up of the lower quartiles one and two and senior level positions.

At senior level, 73% were men, while 27% were women. This was a small improvement on the 2022 figure of 79% in favour of men.

However, overall there were more opportunities for women in higher grades, four and five. Quartile two is 90% male and 10% female.

Part-time and temporary work

Of the 22% of part-time workers, 52% were male, while 48% were female.The report showed a -11.81% gender pay gap for part-time workers and a median of -2.99%.

In 2023, 7% of employees were on temporary contracts, including lifeguards and general operatives.

Of these 60% were male and 40% female. There was a mean gender pay gap of -10.38% for temporary workers and a median of -44.52%.

Tipperary County Council say they are continuing to promote inclusive policies throughout the organisation.

“We continue to be committed to addressing workplace barriers to equality and creating an open and inclusive workplace community.

“Many equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and support are already in place and we will continue to work in this area.”