DORSET Police said they are 'working to tackle the gender pay gap discrepancies', after a report revealed that women in the force were earning 25 per cent less. 

Data from the Government’s Gender Pay Gap Service shows that across all jobs at Dorset Police, women were earning 25 per cent less than their male counterparts in the year of 2021/22, the latest figures available.

The report includes a number of statistics about gender pay disparity in Dorset Police.

It found that:

  • Women at Dorset Police earn 75p for every £1 that men earn when comparing median hourly pay. Their median hourly pay is 25 per cent lower than men’s. Nationally, the gap between the median hourly rate received by men and women in the UK was 9.8 per cent in 2021/22.
  • When comparing mean (average) hourly pay at Dorset Police, women’s mean hourly pay is 12.7 per cent lower than men’s.
  • In this organisation, women occupy 30.5 per cent of the highest paid jobs and 65.4 per cent of the lowest paid jobs.

Assistant Chief Officer Jo Mosley, Director of People and Support Services, said: “The Gender Pay Gap report, published on 22 March 2022, outlines the results for the 2021/22 financial year and the various activities the Force has undertaken to address its gender pay gap.

“I am confident we have the foundations in place to continue with the great progress we have seen over the last couple of years to close our pay gap. We are taking a holistic approach centred around inclusivity.

“Our annual delivery plan focuses on three key areas: achieving representation, creating an inclusive environment and helping women to achieve their potential.

“I am proud to be part of this journey and excited to see where we can take this agenda.

“Modern policing requires courage, innovation and an eye on the changing and challenging environment in which we deliver our services.

"The role of the police spans ever increasing areas of society and meeting that challenge requires us to have a workforce with an array of different skills, and from backgrounds that reflect our communities. We know men and women bring different thoughts and different talents to the table.

“Encouraging women to consider a career in policing is just one step forward, it’s important that Dorset Police can provide an inclusive and supportive environment where women can flourish and are able to achieve their potential.

“To ensure we focus on the lifecycle of the career journey there are several initiatives that help us to deliver in the areas of attraction, progression, and retention.

“We are now in year three of our five year Positive Action strategy and it is great to see how the strategy is giving us the framework to deliver an organisation that will help us to meet our workforce objectives.

“As our new joiners develop their careers, we hope to see even further progress over the coming years, and we will continue to strive for representation.”