Taking Action

Please note: Our 2023 Pay Gap data is presented on these pages; additional supporting information continues to be updated.

The University recognises that identities are multifaceted, that inequalities are not restricted to separate characteristics and that some people experience multiple pay gaps. Narrowing pay gaps with the ambition of elimination is not quick or easy and requires meaningful, consistent and sustained changes in practice and cultural norms.  

In 2022 the University identified three priorities for the year which were to increase:

• the number of women in senior grades
• the representation of colleagues from different ethnic groups across all grades and occupations, particularly Professional Support roles
• the number of employees who record whether or not they have a disability

Whilst we have seen an increase in all these areas (with the exception of BAME representation in Professional Support roles), other factors have contributed to the gender and ethnicity pay gaps remaining relatively stable, and therefore these areas remain a priority for the coming years.

Much of the action we have taken, and will take in the future, is intended to reduce pay gaps across multiple characteristics and the University has confirmed its ambition for this through the strategic commitment to the elimination of negative median pay gaps by gender, ethnicity and Disability as part of the University 2030 Strategy.

To support progress in line with our ambitions a review of EDI actions across relevant EDI Charters and commitments will be undertaken and those which are relevant to reducing pay gaps will be flagged and monitored more regularly, with updates on progress being shared with University Executive and reported via these pay gap web pages.

Progress to date

Over the last three years the University has made strides in its employment offer and our processes to promote equality and support reductions in our pay gaps. These include:

Gender Pay Gap

Northumbria University currently holds an institutional Athena Swan Bronze award and is working towards achieving a Silver award. All academic departments have now received a Bronze award in recognition of their work on gender equality. The Athena Swan Bronze award commits the University and its Academic departments to comprehensive fiver-year action plans with measurable outcomes to address  gender inequality within departments and across the University.

Increasing the number of women at senior grades is a priority for the University to reduce the gender pay gap further.  In the 2022/23 round, changes were made to the process to actively encourage all colleagues to consider their personal career stage. Simplified criteria, including examples of good practice and standing were embedded into the process with a focus on increasing the diversity of colleagues making and application.  a record number of eligible colleagues participated and included for the first time, a higher % of females (16%) to males (14%).  When compared to the 2021-22 round (which was an ‘application’ process), the number of female participants increased from 51 to 88 people (+42%) which is more than double (2.6) the increase in male participants.  This is significant given that, as outcomes previously show, when female colleagues participate, they are as likely to be promoted as their male counterparts.

The Academic Development Review process outlined above is complemented by a leadership development offering that includes Advance HE’s  ‘Senior Women’s Leadership programme’ and the  ’Aurora’ development initiative for women. 8 women have attended the Senior Women's Leadership Programme since 2021 ( 2 each year), 30 women have attended Aurora since 2019.  The programmes support women looking to advance their careers and aims to address the under-representation of women in leadership positions in the sector.

Improvements in maternity, adoption and paternity pay are expected to have a sustained and positive effect on the attraction and retention of staff.  All colleagues, regardless of service, now benefit from 26 weeks at full pay during maternity and adoption leave and four weeks full pay during paternity leave.   

Ethnicity Pay Gap

In 2023, of the full-pay relevant staff considered in this pay analysis, 80.5% of academic employees were White compared to 93.0% of professional support employees. At professional support grades 8 and above, 100% of employees were White, within academic colleagues, those from ethnically marginalised backgrounds are concentrated over Grades 5-9.  To remove ethnicity, pay gaps, it is essential that we increase ethnic diversity across all grades and occupations.

The second of Northumbria University’s Race Equality Updates was shared with colleagues and students in 2023, including a commitment by the University Executive to diversifying our workforce. In-line with this, Northumbria’s Race Equality Steering Group will monitor the ethnicity pay gap more closely as part of our Race Equality Action Plan (launching in 2024).

Specific actions to support diversification of our workforce, and increasing representation across all grades and roles, include:

• Exploratory quality sampling of new colleague starting conditions, including grade and salary.
• Line managers will be reminded to review instances of changes to colleagues’ duties, and where appropriate, they will be encouraged to speak to HR about possible HERA review.
• Colleagues supported to utilise Positive Action where appropriate, to address known areas of under-representation.
• Undertake activity to further understand the ethnicity profile of our Associate Lecturers compared to our Core Staff, and the impact this has on ethnicity pay gaps.
• Ensure all colleagues can access professional development opportunities.

Disability Pay Gap

Disability was introduced as a priority focus area for inclusion in 2022. A Senior Sponsor for Disability Inclusion was appointed to raise the visibility of this work. The Senior Sponsor chairs the University Disability Equality Steering Group (DESG) which the Disabled Staff Network and the Accessibility Review Group (ARG) both feed into.

Following a range of measures undertaken by the DESG and the appointment of an EDI Manager to lead the portfolio of work to advance Disability inclusion, the University undertook a comprehensive self-assessment, which was peer audited by a Disability Charity and were successfully awarded Disability Confident Leader statues in June 2023.  The work is continuing to advance Disability inclusion with a targeted action plan which includes actions to improve Disability disclosure rates and actions which continue to improve accessibility to roles at the University through recruitment development and the introduction of a work placement scheme to enable work opportunities for young people with autism/and or learning disabilities.

In 2022 the University committed to increase Disability disclosure from 2.7% to bring more in line with the sector average of 5.6%.  In 2023 this figure has increased to 3.4% recorded within the NUPF system. There still however remains a high number of ‘unknowns’ which is where a person has not told us if they have a Disability, or they do not. The targeted action plan attempts to address the unknowns by increasing self-disclosure through a range of measures including a digital animation explaining why disclosures is important, adding a prompt to through relevant communications and working with our Trade Unions to encourage member completion of self-disclosure. Other actions have included increasing the guidance for staff and managers on Disability and increasing Disability narrative.

The 2023 University Engagement Survey asked respondents whether they considered themselves to be Disabled according to the definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010. 12.5% of respondents to this question (210 of 1678) indicated that they were Disabled. This is an indicator that we have a high number of Disabled colleagues who have not yet identified as Disabled within the NUPF system.

Return to Main Pay Gap Reporting page.