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More than ten thousand UK firms have posted information on their gender pay gap for the first time.

The data – available on the gender pay gap service website – has been hailed as an unprecedented opportunity to understand the difference in pay between men and women across the UK.

Organisations with more than 250 employees are obliged by law to publish information on their gender pay gap.

The map below shows the head office addresses of more than 10,000 UK firms who filed reports. Each marker includes links to the firm’s gender pay gap report and their entry on Open Corporates.

Firms on the map identified with a large red pin are those that have a median hourly pay gap greater than the national average – which was 18.4 per cent in 2017.

The median hourly rate is calculated by ranking all employees from the highest paid to the lowest paid, and taking the hourly wage of the person in the middle.

This means that the median gender pay gap is the difference between women’s median hourly wage and men’s median hourly wage.

Firms with a yellow marker have pay gap of between 0 and 18.4 per cent. Firms with a small green marker are those with a negative pay gap. With these firms, the woman’s median pay rate is more than the equivalent male rate.

Explore the UK gender pay gap data where you are

The map reveals there is a cluster of firms in and around Aberdeen with significant gender pay gaps, often associated with the North Sea oil and gas industry.

The Ferret already reported on the banks that have reported a large gender pay gaps. Many of these – including RBS, HBOS, and Standard Life – are headquartered in Edinburgh.

In Glasgow, well known firms reporting significant pay gaps included Rangers Football Club, who reported a 20 per cent median pay gap, Tenant Caledonian Brewers, who reported a 21.3 per cent median pay gap, and Abellio, who posted a 27 per cent median pay gap between men and women employees.

Campaign group Close The Gap, analysed the figures published by 200 Scottish firms and found that less than one third have set out any actions to try and close their pay gap.

Close The Gap warns that “reporting alone doesn’t create change,” and claims that, “discrimination is embedded in the design of pay systems and practice,” particularly when it comes to the awarding of bonuses.

In male-dominated sectors such as engineering, energy and finance, some firms have reported pay gaps of more than 600 per cent when bonuses are included in the figures.

Close The Gap said: “Less than a third of Scottish employers have set out an action plan for closing their pay gap is worrying but perhaps not surprising.

“It reaffirms our concerns about the limitations of the gender pay gap regulations. While we’ve welcomed the new pay transparency measures as an important first step in addressing the systemic inequality women face at work, the fundamental weakness is that employers aren’t required to take action that will close their pay gap.

“Evidence shows that most employers are unlikely to voluntarily take action on gender equality, predominantly because they unduly think they’re already treating all their staff fairly.

“The challenge for employers is to decide whether to be sector leaders and demonstrate their commitment to gender equality, or to risk reputational damage by doing nothing.”

On International Women’s Day this year, The Ferret published research showing that a number of public bodies, including significant employers such as colleges and local NHS boards also had significant gender pay gaps.

Cover image: Pound coins | CC | William Warby | https://flic.kr/p/8puuqx