The Infrastructure of Pay Disparity

We would be foolish not to recognize that we’ve been given more opportunity.

In 2023, the gender pay gap widened in the UK’s infrastructure sector with women paid 20.4% less than men per hour. In the country’s workforce as a whole four out of five employers paid male workers more than female workers in 2022-2023. Though I love to talk about the infrastructure industry’s pay disparity in Canada specifically, unfortunately Canada doesn’t disclose this. But more on that later.

Equity vs. Equality 

Throughout March, we will hear a lot about gender equality, but less frequently about gender equity—the two are not the same. Here are the definitions that have resonated with me the most:

Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

*Definitions courtesy of www.internationalwomensday.com

Though not specifically on gender equity, there is a video that went viral years ago that has since occupied a permanent space in my brain, as it provides such powerful imagery of the social inequalities minorities face, including women. Be on high alert for companies embracing equity this month without true understanding its meaning. 

Just as the teacher says in their demonstration, “We would be foolish to not recognize that we’ve been given more opportunity.” So, let’s talk about it from the perspective of an Italian, cisgender man working in the infrastructure industry. 

Pay Disparity 

As with other areas of the infrastructure industry (leadership training, adopting technology, etc.), the UK remains ahead of North America by requiring all companies to disclose their pay disparity each year. This accountability to publish the facts in writing provides the necessary pressure required to close the gap. Even so, a large gap still exists.  

This world-leading legislation, which came into force on March 31 2017, made it statutory for organisations with 250 or more employees in the UK to report annually on their gender pay gap. In 2023, the gender pay gap in the UK’s infrastructure sector remained wide with women being paid 20.4% less than men per hour (compared to 21.2% in 2022), according to the 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report.   

If you find it shocking that companies pay their female employees ⅕ less than their male counterparts, knowing they will need to make that fact public knowledge each year, imagine the wage gap in countries where this legislation pressure is not in effect.  

The Infrastructure of Gender Inequality  

The median pay gap in the UK general workforce remains stubbornly wide at 9.4% in 2023, the same level as in 2017 when the legislation was first enforced. The infrastructure sector’s pay gap remains twice as wide—why? 

We are failing to attract

Too often we’ve heard companies use the excuse of not having a diverse workforce because they do not have female candidates. This excuse disregards the language, marketing the support required to even put women in positions to apply. As an industry, we need to do a better job at supporting new graduates in the early days of navigating a career in infrastructure. Start by supporting the women within your organizations. With the resources and proper pay they deserve, your organisation’s women leaders will be well positioned to mentor the next generation of talented women. 

We are lacking the precedent to allow for necessary change 

Not only are we failing to attract women to the infrastructure industry and we are failing to support the ones who do choose a career in this sector. It is apparent fewer women occupy senior or highly paid roles within the infrastructure industry. 

At an early stage in my leadership career, I encountered a situation where I aimed to support an exceptionally skilled colleague, a woman significantly underpaid compared to her male counterparts. She was due for a promotion, and the proposed salary was notably less than what a male in the same role was earning, despite their remarkably similar qualifications and experience, including the same educational background and professional journey. This disparity highlighted a glaring issue in salary equity that I sought to address. However, despite my efforts, I found myself constrained by organizational policies and unable to secure the equitable compensation she was entitled to. This experience underscored the challenges of advocating for pay parity within established systems.

This is where we come back to equity over equality. We need to overrule policy to give a boost to those with disadvantages. Short term,  there needs to be required quotas to help women overcome centuries of equality they have experienced. We need to be the leaders, particularly those of you at the top of your organizations, to set the precedents; to give opportunity to people who normally wouldn’t get the opportunity. 

Closing the Gender Pay Gap 

Though it likely is not possible to close the infrastructure sector’s gender pay gap in my lifetime, I will remain optimistic that I can help make a difference. I am passionate about elevating this male-dominated industry, and that does not happen without widening the talent pool and increasing the perspective. 

My advice is only from my lived experience, but I highly recommend taking a look at the issued guidance from the UK government this year on closing your gender gap for a comprehensive checklist. Share this tactical guide with the seniors in your organisation and let’s continue this conversation past March, shall we?