People often assume the gender pay gap is due to men and women getting paid different amounts for doing the same or an equivalent role (this is referred to as equal pay). Whilst this can be a factor, the gender pay gap is driven mainly by a lack of female representation in senior roles.
Equal Pay is where men and women should be paid equally for an equivalent job. As stated in the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal to pay men and women differently for performing equal work.
The gender pay gap measures the difference between male and female average earnings across the organisation. It compares all female and male salaries, regardless of the job role, and takes an average of their earnings using different calculations. Ideally, we wouldn’t see any gap in the pay between male and female colleagues.
Following the convention set out by the UK Government, a negative number indicates that women, on average, earn more than men.
The mean gender pay gap is the difference in hourly pay for women and men within a company.
The median represents the middle point of a population. Suppose you separately lined up all the women and all the men in a company in order of hourly pay. In that case, the median pay gap is the difference between the hourly pay rate for the woman in the middle of the data and that of the man in the middle of the data.
Our Workforce
Our employed workforce is 64.5% male and 35.5% female.
Our Gender Pay Gap
The mean gender pay gap is -5.97%. Our female workforce is paid on average £1.18 per hour more than male colleagues.
Pay Parity
We strive for pay parity; any imbalance is due to the distribution of work roles amongst our employees. Historically, our Meat Hygiene Inspector role (lower average wage) has been filled predominately by male colleagues.
Since 2024, the negative pay parity has increased slightly* as a higher percentage of colleagues have joined the company this year as Meat Hygiene Inspectors.
*2024 mean figure -3.79%
At Eville & Jones (G.B.) Ltd, we uphold a steadfast commitment to pay equity. We firmly believe in equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender – any disparity in the gender pay gap results from the distribution of work roles among our diverse and inclusive workforce.
As of the snapshot date (5 April 2025), our employed workforce was 64.5% male and 35.5% female, and correspondingly the split of bonus recipients weighted 62% in favour of male colleagues. Despite the higher percentage of male colleagues employed, 40.4% of those colleagues in the upper pay quartile were female compared to 59.6% of male colleagues. Additionally, 72% of workers in the “lower middle” and 72% of colleagues in the “lower” hourly pay quartile were male.
These dynamics support the headline findings:
We saw a -5.97% mean gender pay gap, with female workers being paid, on average, £1.18 per hour more than their male counterparts. This dynamic is more pronounced on a median hourly pay basis, where the gap was -20.9% in favour of female workers.
While we strive for pay parity, it’s important to acknowledge the underlying factors contributing to these numbers. Historically, male colleagues have predominantly filled our Meat Hygiene Inspector (MHI) roles, leading to a gender imbalance. In contrast, the Official Veterinarian (OV) group of workers has seen a more balanced representation of female staff. Given that MHI roles typically command a lower average wage than OV roles, this has contributed to the widening of the gender pay gap in favour of women. We do not expect this dynamic to change markedly in the near term.
We have sorted our colleagues in order from the highest to the lowest paid and then split them into four groups of equal numbers of people.
Our Mean pay gap is -5.97%
Our Median pay gap is -20.9%
All employees are eligible to participate in our bonus plan.
The percentage of males who receive a bonus payment is lower than females when we look at it as a % based on our overall headcount.
Our Workforce
Our employed workforce is 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
Our Gender Pay Gap
The mean gender pay gap is 7.8%. Our female workforce is paid on average £1.60 per hour less than male colleagues.
Pay Parity
We strive for pay parity; any imbalance is largely influenced by our workforce structure and roles. The company employs a range of front line delivery staff consisting of MRCVS veterinary professionals and lower paid non-MRCVS staff. In addition, the company employs around 60 administrative support staff at various pay grades, plus the Group’s executive leadership team.
As of the snapshot date (5 April 2025), our employed workforce was 49.4% male and 50.6% female, whereas the split of bonus recipients weighted 51.7% in favour of female colleagues.
We saw a 7.81% mean gender pay gap, with female workers being paid, on average, £1.60 per hour less than their male counterparts. Reviewing the pay quartiles this highlighted that 46% of those colleagues in the upper pay quartile were female compared to 54% of male colleagues. Additionally, 47% of workers in the “lower middle” and 62% of colleagues in the “lower” hourly pay quartile were female.
The gender pay gap is primarily influenced by the structure of our workforce, with a high number of administrative and support roles to the wider group. Employees are broadly split between the senior leadership team and central support staff in roles such as Resource Coordinators, Office Assistants, and other administrative positions. These roles fall within lower pay bands and, at present, are more frequently held by female employees, contributing to the overall pay gap. Front line service delivery also consists of a mix of MRCVS veterinary surgeons, which attract higher pay than less qualified service delivery personnel such as Certification Support Officers and Plant Inspection Assistants.
We are confident that our recruitment, selection, and promotion processes are fair, transparent, and merit based. The current gender distribution at senior levels reflects the existing composition of our workforce rather than our employment practices. We remain committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees and continue to invest in development through training and progression pathways. As a Real Living Wage employer, we also maintain high levels of employee satisfaction, with regular surveys indicating strong confidence in career development opportunities.
We have sorted our colleagues in order from the highest to the lowest paid and then split them into four groups of equal numbers of people.
Our Mean pay gap is 7.81%
Our Median pay gap is 21.85%
All employees are eligible to participate in our bonus plan.
The percentage of males who receive a bonus payment is lower than females when we look at it as a % based on our overall headcount.
