Channel 4 gender pay gap makes for "uncomfortable reading" admits chief executive

A newly published report shows that Channel 4 has a mean average gender pay gap of 28.6%. This puts the broadcaster well behind the BBC (who revealed women earn 10.7% less on average) and ITN (19.6%).

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Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon said the findings made for “uncomfortable reading”, but added that she was “determined to take action to address it”.

“There is no quick fix, but identifying the complex and multiple reasons behind our gap is the first step towards tackling the fundamental issues at play,” Mahon said in a statement, adding although the broadcaster employs "significantly more women than men [59%] there is an imbalance in the ratios at the higher and lower-earning parts of the business".

The report reveals that only 34 of the top 100 earners at Channel 4 are women. Mahon stressed the importance of “increasing the proportion of women in higher-paid roles”, and said the broadcaster was targeting a 50:50 gender balance among its top 100 earners by 2023.

The gender pay report also reveals that there are nearly twice as many women as men working in lower paid roles.

The gender pay gap figure refers to the difference in average earnings between all men and women working in an organisation. All companies employing more than 250 people must publish gender pay gap figures by 30 March 2018.