The gender pay gap
The gender pay gap reflects the difference in average pay between men and women in an organisation. It is not simply a number, but a marker of the unequal distribution of opportunity, power and privilege that shapes careers over the lifetime. Factors such as unequal hiring and promotion processes, occupational segregation, and the ‘motherhood penalty’ all contribute to women being less represented in higher-paid and more senior roles.
Since 2018, we have examined how power and privilege are distributed across organisations active in global health. Of the ~200 organisations included in our Gender & Health Index, 45 have reported their gender pay gaps under the UK Government’s mandatory reporting requirements since 2018, although not all have reported every year.
The dashboards below bring together gender pay gap figures for these organisations, including trends from 2017/18–2024/2025. The data highlights the importance of both transparency and taking action to narrow pay gaps and advance gender justice.
Gender pay gap vs unequal pay
The gender pay gap measures the difference in average earnings between men and women across an organisation, regardless of role or seniority. It reflects how power and opportunity are distributed, including who holds higher-paid positions.
In many countries, employees doing the same or similar work must be paid equally, regardless of gender. Failure to do so is considered unequal pay and is illegal in many jurisdictions. While unequal pay can contribute to the gender pay gap, the gap itself is largely shaped by broader social, cultural and economic inequalities that influence career pathways, promotion, and how different types of work are valued.
Gender pay gap dashboard: Summary data
This interactive dashboard presents gender pay gap data from 2017/18 to 2024/25. It combines UK government-reported figures from 45* organisations active in global health, with data from Global 50/50’s Gender & Health Index.
Use the filters to explore median and mean hourly and bonus pay gap data over time, compare organisations, see how workforce gender composition varies across pay quartiles, and identify when organisations have been led by a woman or a man.
* Not all 45 organisations reported every year.
Gender pay gap by organisation
Use the dropdown menu to explore self-reported gender pay gap figures for any UK-based organisation in our health sample. Drawing on data from our Gender & Health Index, you can also find an overview of the organisation’s policies that influence the pay gap, and identify when the organisation has been led by a woman or a man.
Gender pay gaps over time
This interactive graph maps the hourly gender pay gap (%) for UK-based organisations in our global health sample from 2017/18 to 2024/25. Toggle between the years, to see how pay gaps vary across organisations and shift over time. A value below 0 indicates the pay gap is in the favour of women, while a value above 0 indicates the pay gap is in favour of men.
