Equal Pay Day Event
What could fair pay mean for competitiveness in the West of England? Together with the University of Bristol Business School we’re co-hosting an event on 21st September that aims to explore this, with a very special guest.
It’s International Equal Pay Day this month, a day when organisations like the UN are pushing for employers worldwide to turn workplace commitments into structural changes to ensure women are paid fairly.
In the UK, women are paid on average around 12% less than men according to figures from the Office for National Statistics*.
West of England Women’s Commission are part of a coalition of people in our community working towards achieving a low to no pay gap.
To that end, we’re pleased to share that there will be two events taking place in Bristol on 21st September for those interested in this topic.
In the morning, West of England Women’s Commission is co-hosting a breakfast event where Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, will be in conversation with Kadie Philp, Pay Equity Commissioner at Government of Ontario, to discuss the link between data, pay equity and how the next wave of technology will decide whose work counts.
Ontario has one of the longest standing proactive pay equity regimes in the world. Its system is proactive, placing positive duty on employers to close pay gaps between comparable roles, rather than waiting for complaints. For nearly four decades their jurisdiction has done what the UK strives to do – achieved better pay equity for all.
Discussion topics will include:
Lessons from Ontario: What proactive pay equity looks like in practice, what it asks of employers, what it delivers, and the honest trade-offs, from someone who administers it every day. Examples of best practice.
Place and possibility: How devolved powers and civic partnership could let the West of England lead in a very distinctive way, and what leadership from business would make possible, what this means for inclusive growth.
The view from the room: The questions our leaders are already living with, on pay transparency, and how AI is reshaping which work is valued and how, and how progressive employers can make a difference.
The event is being held in collaboration with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and attendance will be by invitation only.
In addition, there’s an event in the evening hosted by University of Bristol in which Kadie Philp will be joined by industry guests, students, and members of the Women in Finance Student Society. The event will comprise a talk on gender pay equity and insights from industry, followed by a networking session.
This event takes place from 5.30pm – 7.30pm at The Bristol Rooms, Sloane Robinson Building, Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
* Among all employees, the gender pay gap decreased to 12.8% in April 2025, down from 13.1% in April 2024. The gender pay gap is higher for all employees than it is for full-time or part-time employees. This is because there are more part-time employees who are women. Click here to view the source.