US federal agencies urged to ‘do more’ on gender pay equity
The Global Government Women’s Network newsletter is taking a break in August but we are still covering the latest news in this area. Sign up to receive email updates and the newsletter when it returns.
The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is encouraging federal agencies to conduct their own gender pay gap analysis to better understand and address disparities.
A memo from OPM acting director Robert Shriver said that the federal workforce has a gender pay gap of 5.6%, meaning that on average, women are paid around 94 cents for every dollar a man makes. This is compared to a 25% federal gender pay gap in 1992 and a current 16% national gender pay gap.
OPM has already prohibited the use of previous salary information in setting pay for federal employees as part of action to boost pay equity. This followed an executive order on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal workforce and a subsequent government-wide strategic plan.
“We don’t want agencies to perpetuate gender pay discrimination that occurred outside of government when hiring people into government jobs,” said Shriver. “But our work is not finished, and we need to do more.”
Read our latest Global Government Women’s Network newsletter: Baltic states tackle gender bias in AI, the world’s most gender-equal country, and more
‘Probe deeper’, says OPM
OPM has recommended that agencies carry out their own pay gap data analysis similar to that conducted by OPM on a government-wide basis. The goal is to identify areas where gender-related and racial/ethnic-related pay disparities exist and develop targeted strategies to address them.
Shriver said that when comparing the average salary of women and men in various racial-ethnic groups to the average salary of white males in the government, “we find larger pay gaps that also need to be addressed”.
The guidance notes that: “In some cases, agency data analysis may need to probe deeper than the analysis conducted by OPM to fully understand the factors behind a gender or racial/ethnic pay disparity. For example, an agency may generate data for major occupations that show gender pay gaps by age groupings within each occupation.”
Read more: ‘We need all the voices at the table’: Five minutes with Elise Legendre, chief data officer at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ongoing task
OPM recommends that agencies analyse data for the most recent fiscal year available to obtain an understanding of the current workforce with respect to gender and racial/ethnic groups. It says this data can be a baseline for future comparisons and agencies may then decide to analyse past years to gain an understanding of workforce trends.
OPM also recommends that agencies develop a plan for conducting ongoing, regular data analysis related to gender and racial/ethnic pay equality.
To conduct this work, agencies are encouraged to assemble a team of employees, including those with necessary skills in data system administration and statistical analysis.
The executive order also required agencies that administer independent pay systems to review compensation practices in light of the new rules regarding pay history. They have until 16 October to conduct their analyses and determine whether changes to their policies or guidance are required.
About Sarah Wray
Sarah has over 15 years’ experience as a journalist with a specialism in the public sector and topics such as digitalisation and climate action. Sarah was formerly the editor of Cities Today and Smart Cities World, as well as a specialist video-based publication in the aerospace sector. She has also written for publications including Smart Cities Dive, Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live and Computer Weekly.
