How to use this calculator
- Enter or choose hourly pay, men.
- Enter or choose hourly pay, women.
- The median pay gap updates as you type. Use Copy result or Share to keep it.
Method
Mean gap = (Mean pay of men − Mean pay of women) ÷ Mean pay of men × 100; Median gap uses medians in the same way
- Mean
- the sum of pay divided by the number of people
- Median
- the middle value when pay is sorted
Worked example
- Men: mean = 150 ÷ 5 = 30, median = 30. Women: mean = 130 ÷ 5 = 26, median = 24.
- Mean gap = (30 − 26) ÷ 30 × 100 = 13.33%.
- Median gap = (30 − 24) ÷ 30 × 100 = 20%.
In this example women’s median hourly pay is 20% lower than men’s, and their mean pay is 13.33% lower.
What the result means
A positive gap means women are paid less on average; a negative gap means they are paid more. The median is less affected by a few very high earners. A gap usually reflects who holds which jobs, not only unequal pay for the same work.
Assumptions and limits
- Pay figures are on the same basis for everyone, ideally hourly pay so that part-time and full-time staff are comparable.
- This is not an equal-pay audit and does not adjust for role, grade, location or experience. Official reporting rules define which staff and pay elements to include.
Questions
Why use hourly pay?
Annual pay mixes hours with pay rates; part-time work is more common among women, so annual figures overstate the rate gap.
Is a pay gap the same as unequal pay?
No. Equal pay is about the same pay for the same or equivalent work; the pay gap compares averages across the whole workforce.