Gender pay gap

Request the authority's gender pay gap data by grade and service area.

The gender pay gap shows the difference between what men and women are paid on average. Public bodies are expected to report on their gender pay gap, but published figures often lack the breakdown needed to understand where the gap falls.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information as at [DATE e.g. 31 March 2025]: 1. The mean and median gender pay gap across the whole organisation. 2. A breakdown of the gender pay gap by grade or pay band. 3. The proportion of male and female employees in each pay quartile (lower, lower middle, upper middle, upper). 4. The gender pay gap for part-time employees compared with full-time employees. I would prefer to receive this by email. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Any Scottish public authority: council, health board, or government agency. Find the right authority on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • Public bodies in Scotland are required to publish gender pay gap information under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations. Check the authority’s equality reports before submitting your request.
  • The breakdown by grade (item 2) is more revealing than the headline figure. It shows where the gap is widest and whether women are concentrated in lower-paid roles.
  • If you want to compare multiple authorities, submit the same request to several and compare the results.