Voluntary Gender Equality Reporting

Tesco, BT and law firm Eversheds were among the leading UK companies to sign up to the government’s framework for voluntary equality reporting,  as announced by the Home Secretary in September 2011.   The ‘Think, Act, Report’ initiative is aimed at improving transparency on gender equality issues in the private and voluntary sector, and the September launch was seen as a major breakthrough for the government in encouraging more transparency on gender equality issues in the workplace.

Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May said:
“I am delighted that some of the UK’s most recognised and successful firms have volunteered to publish data on gender equality. Business should be congratulated for making this positive step towards greater transparency, which will help close the gender pay gap. “Equality of opportunity is vital to building a strong, modern economy that can draw on the talents of everyone. Over recent years, women have made great strides in the workplace, but there is still a long way to go.”

Think, Act, Report Framework Overview

The framework is open to all private and voluntary sector organisations, particularly those with 150 or more employees.

For further information,  how many employers are currently engaged in monitoring and reporting on gender equality and to sign up to the framework, visit
The Home Office - Government Equality Office

The baseline report that  reveals that 43 per cent of large employers carry out some form of analysis of their gender pay gap is available for download here. Baseline Report.pdf (245 kb)  In addition download the factsheet  that details statistics of employers thinking, acting and reporting on gender equality:  Factsheet.pdf (360 kb)

The new framework aims to encourage and support organisations to take a simple step-by-step journey to improve gender equality in their organisations.

The Government want organisations to start by undertaking their own analysis of these issues, where necessary to take action to address them, and in time report on gender equality in their organisation.

Organisations can choose to report on the measures that are considered the most relevant. The Think, Act, Report framework provides a list of suggested measures to choose from, including:

• Narrative measures - a description of the organisation’s approach and actions, to provide context for any figures that are reported. This could also include results from staff surveys.
• Workforce measures - for example, the gender composition of the workforce as a whole, or representation at different levels.
• Pay measures - for example, the overall gender pay gap, full-time gender pay gap or men and women’s starting salaries.

See all the measures in the Think, Act, Report framework.

“Opportunity Now was pleased to help shape the Think, Act, Report initiative which encourages voluntary gender equality reporting and is even more delighted to be working with the Government’s Equality Office to further develop this initiative.  We strongly believe that increasing women’s recruitment, retention and progression within UK businesses is not a women’s issue but a commercial imperative. Creating workplaces which better tap into the talents of both men and women offers clear business advantage in terms of talent, innovation and financial performance.

For twenty years Opportunity Now has been at the forefront of championing the importance of  measuring, monitoring and reporting on workforce data as a way of better understanding cultural dynamics and better driving change.

By having a clear handle on the numbers organisations are able to tackle inequity and reap the business benefits. What gets measured gets done and increased transparency creates buy-in and  is a powerful lever for action. We hope an increasing number of organisations  adopt this transparent and voluntary approach and highly commend those that are already leading the charge.  Opportunity Now will be working closely with our member organisations to support them in moving the dial.

Helen Wells, Campaign Director, Opportunity Now