Gender Pay Gap 2025

ADDRESSING THE GENDER PAY GAP AT THE CANCER RESEARCH UK SCOTLAND INSTITUTE

At CRUK Scotland Institute, we value a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. This culture drives innovation and creativity, enabling us to conduct cutting edge cancer research, helping us to achieve our goals.

In this report you will find:

• A summary of our gender pay gap
• A summary of the challenges, which contribute to our gender pay gap
• Our commitments and actions to narrowing our gender pay gap

WHAT IS THE GENDER PAY GAP AT THE CRUK SCOTLAND INSTITUTE?

To determine the gender pay gap, the Government requires companies to measure the average earnings of all male and female employees, regardless of role and working hours, and show the percentage difference between the two.

Figure 1 shows that compared to 2024, the mean hourly pay gap between females and males decreased by 0.55% and the median hourly pay gap decreased by 1.34%.  This builds on progress from previous years, but we remain vigilant and committed to further reducing the gap.

Figure 1: Pay Gender from April 2023 to April 2025

The figures shown here do not include Group Leaders who are employed by the University of Glasgow and who will feature in their Gender Pay Data.

Gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay. The latter has been a legal requirement in the UK for nearly 50 years. At the CRUK Scotland Institute, we ensure our people are paid equally for equivalent work, subject to experience and individual contribution, and regardless of gender.

WHAT IS BEHIND OUR GENDER PAY GAP?

Our gender pay gap has improved over the past year.  The latest data from SRG (STEM recruitment agency) quotes a GPG for women in STEM of 19% from their 2024 survey in collaboration with New Scientist.  Our own data from a peer group survey quotes an average mean gender pay gap of 14% and median of gender pay gap 9.1% for year 2024. Our mean difference between female and male salaries was 9.44% and the median to 5.95% in that same period with further reduction in the new reporting period for 2025.   This reflects improvements in recruitment and salary review processes, placing us ahead of our peer group, with only one institute performing better.

In 2025, our workforce was 39% male and 61% female. We have a majority of females in the first three pay quartiles. In the upper quartile, gender parity is nearly achieved, though female representation fell 2% to 47% from last year.

In 2025, 57% of promotions and 68% of advancements in grades (salary increases above our cost-of-living increase) were female.

Comparison of Quartiles 2023 to 2025

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO CLOSE OUR GENDER PAY GAP?

The CRUK Scotland Institute is committed to reducing its gender pay gap through actions identified in our gender pay gap action plan.

Understanding the issues
The CRUK Scotland Institute operates in a sector that relies heavily on highly skilled scientific researchers and those wishing to train in this area. In the UK, the number of women now working as Science Professionals dropped from 51.5% in 2022 to 43.7% in 2023 (WISE Campaign Report September 2023) presenting a challenge in recruiting from a decreasing female talent pool.

Over 62% of our postdocs are female and whilst this is encouraging, we recognise that we need to translate this into a higher percentage of female postdocs pursuing a scientific research career into more senior positions such as a Group Leader. At present 50% of senior researchers are female, an increase of over 12% on last year.

To reduce our gender pay gap, we have:

• Improved recruitment with gender balanced interview panels and applicant shortlists and inclusive language on adverts
• Engaged early career researchers to understand career challenges
• Offered flexible work patterns and up to 18 months maternity cover
• Reviewed grades to address pay gaps
• Promoted women’s development through coaching, mentoring, and leadership programs
• Ensured equal representation in seminars and conferences

We will continue our efforts to support career development for females in science, including postdoc transitions to independent research through mentoring, fellowship guidance, and leadership training.

In summary

While a gender pay gap and recruitment challenges exist, we are encouraged by the number of women joining our Institute and progressing to senior roles.

To retain and support women, we will continue reviewing data, policies, and development opportunities to help them reach their full potential.

Our Institute is committed to equity, recognising that through diversity we will be able to conduct innovative and world-leading cancer research, supporting the goal of 3 in 4 people surviving their cancer by 2034.