Gender Pay Gap Summary (2025)
Gender pay gap reporting is a way of understanding how we are paying men and women and helps us to identify at a high level whether we may have any issues with gender impacting on how much people are paid. Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) is proud to report further progress in closing our gender pay gap. As of 31 March 2025, our mean gender pay gap has fallen to just 1.3% and the median gap stands at 1.0%, continuing a long‑term trend of improvement and maintaining a low gap.
These results place GCC significantly ahead of the national picture. The latest Office for National Statistics figures show a national mean gap of 13.8% and median gap of 13.1%, with the public sector specifically at 12.9% (mean) and 13.5% (median). GCC’s performance is considerably stronger, demonstrating our continued commitment to fair and equitable pay.
A stable, predominantly female workforce
Our workforce profile has remained consistent over time, with women representing 69.9% of our employees in 2025 – a pattern broadly unchanged since 2017. This reflects both the nature of local government roles and GCC’s strong reputation as a flexible and inclusive employer.
Where we’re making progress
- The gender pay gap has continued to narrow in both mean and median gaps.
- We continue to expand our flexible working offer, family‑friendly policies and support networks, including the Women’s Network and women‑focused initiatives across Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
Where more work is needed
While the overall gap remains low, there is still a slightly lower proportion of women in the upper and upper‑middle quartiles compared with our overall workforce profile. This suggests that women may face barriers to progression – often linked to societal factors such as career breaks, caring responsibilities, and part‑time working.
We are continuing work to address these patterns through:
- targeted development and mentoring;
- leadership and progression initiatives;
- continued review of policies to remove bias;
- promoting flexible working at all levels.
Our commitment
GCC remains dedicated to building an organisation where everyone can thrive. We will continue refining our policies, investing in staff networks, improving agile working environments and embedding inclusive practice across all services.
In summary: GCC’s gender pay gap remains low, stable and far better than national comparators, reflecting our long‑standing commitment to fairness and inclusion. We know there is more to do, and we are taking meaningful, practical steps to close the gap even further in the years ahead.
You can find more detail on understanding the gender pay gap, and our statistics in the rest of this document.
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