Havas Media UK has seen its gender parity pay gap lower from a difference of 36% last year to 15% for 2018, 

The numbers, leaked late last week, show a company that has improved its division between men and women in recent months following the departure of a number of senior men, however it has said that it will strive for full parity in the future.

The media division currently employs 470 people in the UK.

A spokesperson for the company explained that the change in figures had stemmed from the departure of ‘a number of males’ who had either not been replaced or had been replaced by females.

They also explained that the pay audit was ongoing within the business but that they would be reported each month to other parts of the UK business in the future and presented ‘a diversity & inclusion charter’ that was being implemented by Chris Hirst, European and UK group chief executive officer at Havas.

The 10 steps set out by the charter have been created in the effort to “create the UK’s best employer brand,” it stated.

Kerry Glazer, president of WACL, offered her take on the numbers: “Even though it’s nearly 50 years since the Equal Pay Act came into force, recent research by CMI/XpertHR reported that the gender pay gap for UK managers stands at nearly 27%, with the gap increasing for director-level positions. When 61% of women say they have witnessed gender bias in pay and rewards in the workplace surely the time to make active, lasting changes to this is now. I applaud any company in our business who, having recognised and been transparent about the fact that it exists in their own business, is doing everything they can bridge that gap, even of they haven’t quite closed it yet. We can only hope that more will follow their lead.”

Under new government regulations, from this year, companies with 250 or more workers are obliged to publish data on the gap in pay between male and female employees.

The most recent IPA Diversity Census, released earlier this month, found that within UK media agencies 46.5% of employees are male and 53.5% female and within larger media agencies a third (33.0%) of roles within the C-suite were occupied by females. When it came to the overall pay disparity for media agencies in general, was found to be 71.7% in favour of males in chair/CEO and managing director roles.