At Southern Housing, fairness, transparency, and accountability sit at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we publish our Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap Report each year, not just because it’s a legal requirement for companies with more than 250 employees, but because it’s the right thing to do.
While the national gender pay gap has been gradually narrowing over time, disparities remain, and it’s crucial that organisations take action to understand and address them. Our report gives us the insight we need to make meaningful changes and build a more inclusive workplace for everyone. And while there’s currently no government requirement to report on ethnicity pay gaps, we’ve committed to doing so as part of our broader mission to promote equity.
What our latest figures show
Our 2024 report shows encouraging progress, but also highlights where we still have work to do:
- Women make up 59.4% of our workforce, with men at 40.5%
- Our mean gender pay gap is 11.2%—a slight improvement from last year’s 11.3% and below the UK’s 2024 national average of 13.1%
- Our median gender pay gap has reduced to 7.3%, down from 10.1% in 2023, though slightly above the national median of 7%
- Our mean ethnicity pay gap has increased to 4.3%, compared to 2.1% in 2023
- Our median ethnicity pay gap is -0.3%, compared to -4.8% last year.
While we’re moving in the right direction, we know there’s more to do to ensure pay parity across all levels of our organisation.
How we compare to our peers
Pay gaps exist for many reasons, including differences in career progression, occupational sectors, part-time work prevalence, and external job market factors. The housing sector is no exception, as it spans a wide variety of roles with differing pay structures. However, our data remains broadly in line with our peers, reflecting the sector’s wider challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Turning insight into action
We’re taking proactive steps to close the gender and ethnicity pay gaps at Southern Housing by focusing on three key areas:
- Improving leadership diversity – We’re supporting women and ethnically diverse colleagues into senior roles through targeted recruitment, career development, and mentoring programmes
- Inclusive hiring practices – We use inclusive job descriptions, anonymised recruitment, and diverse interview panels to remove bias from our hiring process. All hiring managers undergo mandatory training in inclusive recruitment
- Better workforce data collection – We’re launching a campaign to encourage colleagues to share their diversity data. Enhanced reporting tools will help us identify trends in recruitment, retention, and promotion, allowing us to take informed action.
Looking ahead
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we recognise that there’s still more to do. By continuing to monitor our pay gaps, listening to our colleagues, and taking meaningful steps to drive equity, we’re reinforcing our commitment to making Southern Housing a truly inclusive place to work.
This isn’t just about data, it’s about people. And we’re committed to ensuring everyone at Southern Housing has the opportunity to thrive.
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