Happy International Women in Tech Day! Today started as a vision of world where “gender does not define one's ability to succeed in the tech industry” and is a reminder of the progress made as well as the work still required to achieve gender parity in the tech sector.
Founded in 2017 by Anna Radulovski, the initiative has achieved incredible milestones since its inception, creating a global network that promotes inclusivity and career opportunities for women in technology. Officially recognised in 2024, the movement reflects a collective effort to break barriers and advance gender equality in STEM fields.
One such area that is an ongoing concern for women is the gender pay gap (GPG). In March (2025), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published its ‘Gender Pay Gap Report 2024’, providing an in-depth analysis of the pay disparities between male and female employees within the organisation. The findings shows there are areas of improvement while highlighting the persistent challenges in achieving pay equity.
Report statistics and trends
The report highlights the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings of male and female employees across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It measures pay disparity across all jobs within the organisation rather than differences in pay for the same role.
In 2024, UKRI’s mean GPG stood at 9.0%, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than the UK national GPG of 7.7% in 2023. This represents a 0.6 percentage point decrease since 2022. In practical terms, for every £1 earned by male employees, female employees earned 91p on average.
However, the most recent data shows a widening of 0.7 percentage points in the last year, with the median GPG increasing by 2.5 percentage points. This shift is largely attributed to the 2022 pay award, which increased salaries for employees in research delivery roles to address external pay market pressures. As this cohort has a higher proportion of male employees compared to UKRI’s overall workforce, it has contributed to the observed pay gap changes.
Report summary:
- UKRI’s mean gender pay gap is 9.0%, compared to 8.3% the previous year. A widening of 0.7 percentage points
- The median pay is 7.5% compared to 5.0% the previous year. A widening of 2.5 percentage points
The pay gap is linked to differences in the distribution of men and women across pay grades with men, on average, having more senior roles in the upper pay quartile:
- Senior roles: 35% women, 65% men in the upper pay quartile
- Lower pay quartile: 55% women, 45% men
Bonus payments show further disparities:
- Mean bonus gap: 8.3% this has narrowed by 7.3 percentage points compared to 15% the previous year
- Median bonus gap: -21.9% which indicates a widening of 21.9% from 0% the previous year
The report indicates that a larger proportion of females received instant and in-year bonuses which are a lower value than senior roles. The amount of males and females receiving end of year bonuses was similar, but men, on average, received more – this is because the amount of men in senior roles is higher than females.
The report also highlights that the pace of change is slow, particularly in STEM-related roles, where women continue to be underrepresented. UKRI acknowledges that while gender diversity initiatives have increased female hires, career progression bottlenecks remain a pressing issue.
