Gender pay gap 2023
What is the gender pay gap?
We are required by law to publish our gender pay gap figures each year. This requirement comes from the Equality Act 2010.
The gender pay gap is a measure of difference between men and women’s average earnings across an organisation. It is expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings. These figures take into consideration both part-time and full-time employees.
Having a gender pay gap does not mean we have inequalities of pay between males and females who are doing the same work.
Gender pay gap reporting helps us assess the proportion of males and females at all levels of seniority within an organisation.
The median pay gap figure is the one most often referenced in gender pay gap reporting as this is the one most representative of the experience of the average worker within an organisation. It is not affected by extreme values, such as the changes in earnings of small numbers of very high earners.
The mean pay gap figure, along with the quartile information, can be more useful to show pay gaps occurring because of the spread of representation of males and females. These figures can help us focus our efforts to close the gaps especially when we separate staff and officer payments, as it can make it easier to see where we need to focus our efforts.
Glossary of Terms
Gender pay gap
A comparison between mean and median hourly pay for all women and men within the force. Both full time and part time employees.
Median gender pay gap
This is the difference between the median (middle) value of hourly pay rates (when ordered from lowest to highest) for all men in an organisation, and the median value of hourly pay rates for all women, expressed as a percentage of the median hourly rate for men.
Mean gender pay gap
This is the difference between the mean (average) hourly pay rate for all men in an organisation, and the mean hourly pay rate for all women, expressed as a percentage of the mean hourly rate for men.
Median bonus pay gap
This is the difference between the median (middle) values of bonuses (when ordered from lowest to highest) for all men in an organisation and the median value of bonuses for all women, as a percentage of the median bonus for men.
Mean bonus pay gap
This is the difference between the mean (average) value of bonuses for all men in an organisation and the mean value of bonuses for all women, expressed as a percentage of the mean bonus for men.
25% (quartile) pay distribution
The proportion of men and women in each 25% (quartile) of an employer’s pay structure.
Bonuses
This refers to specific payments applied to roles due to skill set. Particularly for officers the figures reflect that we need to increase the number of females in specialist roles, particularly firearms.
Our results
The report shows the overall gender pay gap figures of the following:
- Gender pay gap (mean and median)
- Gender bonus gap (mean and median)
- Proportion of males and females in each quartile of the organisation’s pay structure
- Proportion of males and females receiving bonuses.
The data
- The figures below are based on a data snapshot taken at 31 March 2023. View data from previous years.
| Officers and Staff | Officers | Staff | |
| Mean gender pay gap | 6.7% | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Mean gender bonus gap | 50.5% | 49.3% | 5.33% |
| Median gender pay gap | 14.2% | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| Male employees received a bonus | 8.6% | 12.5% | 0.8% |
| Median gender bonus gap | 68% | 72% | 0.0% |
| Female employees received a bonus | 4.4% | 9.0% | 1.3% |
| Quartile | Male officers | Female officers | Male staff | Female staff | All male | All female |
| Upper | 71.0% | 29.0% | 43.9% | 56.1% | 66.8% | 33.2% |
| Upper middle | 75.2% | 24.8% | 40.9% | 59.1% | 52.0% | 48.0% |
| Lower middle | 57.2% | 42.8% | 40.4% | 59.6% | 48.4% | 51.6% |
| Lower | 58.9% | 41.1% | 28.9% | 71.1% | 43.4% | 56.6% |
| Total | 64.5% | 35.5% | 38.3% | 61.7% | 52.5% | 47.5% |
- Sussex Police has published its gender pay gap report to the government which highlights a median difference of 14.2%.
- The median gender pay figure reflects that historically police officer roles have been more popular with men and police staff roles with women.
- As police officer roles are generally higher paid than police staff roles (and despite there being more women working in police staff roles at all levels, including higher paid roles) when staff and officer figures are combined it results in a greater gender pay gap overall.
- When gender pay is calculated for officers separately to staff our median figures continue to show a more positive gender pay gap at 0% for officers and 3% for staff.
- It continues to be positive that we have increased recruitment of female officers joining as new recruits even though this in the short to medium term has a negative impact on our gender pay gap. Since the majority are joining at the Constable rank (so lower end of officer pay scales where there are greater numbers of roles), in the shorter/medium term this increase in female officers’ acts negatively on our overall (and officer) gender pay gap and is not offset by increased numbers of female officer promotions due to the smaller numbers of senior roles meaning less impact on the median position.
- We continue to take action to identify and reduce barriers there may be for female officers wanting to move to specialist roles, such as Tactical Firearms Unit (TFU) and Roads Policing Team (RPU) and progressing through the ranks on promotion, to improve our workforce mix, which will improve our gender pay gap.
- Increasing male representation in entry level police staff roles, could also help improve our gender pay gap although we are conscious that having good representation at this level helps us achieve good female representation at all police staff due to internal progression opportunities.
Targeted action to reduce the gender pay gap
Since the publication of the 2023 gender pay gap report Sussex Police has taken steps to make improvements and reduce the gender pay gap, using the toolkits developed by the Government Equalities Commission, along with any insights and shared learning from other police forces, which include:
- Introduction of increased parenting partner (paternity/support) leave and guidance from 6 April 2024.
- Development of women’s health support.
- The results of a diversity survey carried out in our Operational command department in 2023 have been assessed and key work streams are taking forward action targeted to improve the gender mix in specialist roles, such as, our Tactical Firearms Team TFU) and Roads Policing Team (RPU). Open days and awareness days have taken place for these teams and mentors and allies are in place in TFU with plans to launch similar support for RPU during 2024.
Inclusion is of high importance to Sussex Police. All equalities information, including for gender, is monitored on a regular basis through various meetings at which improvement actions are agreed and reviewed.