So What Happened At The Ethnicity Pay Gap Debate?

By Esther Oluga

"This House Believes That the Ethnicity Pay Gap cannot be closed within the next decade".

In 2018, every company with over 250 employees was legally required to report their gender pay gap. Dominating headlines, employers were forced to confront gender bias and discrimination within their systems. Shortly after, another gap was brought to the forefront: the Ethnicity Pay Gap. Revealed by a The Resolution Foundation, black and ethnic-minority employees were losing £3.2bn a year in wages compared with white colleagues doing the same work. Though reporting of the ethnicity pay gap has not yet been legalized, it has provoked institutions to start confronting internal practices that lead to ethnic minority professionals being viewed negatively due to bias.

That is why on the 22nd of January, YDWC teamed up with the Royal Bank of Scotland Multi-Cultural Network and Coutts Bank to deliver an important debate on whether the ethnicity pay gap cannot be closed within the next decade. The event gave the audience and senior leadership, the opportunity to hear and discuss how systematic issues such as limited access to education and poor health, stop ethnic minorities from progressing in the workplace.     

The debate was delivered by the proposition led by the brilliant Kenza Wilks, Charlotte Pope-Williams and Harish Natarajan; whilst the opposition was held by Jason Xiao, Keshav Arvind and Lewis Iwu. The discussion provided a range of arguments which explained the systemic issues, and structural prejudices ingrained within the fabric of British society, which have led to this pay gap.

Whilst the proposition argued that enough progress was being made to close the pay gap, the opposition – who won – argued that it would be impossible to close the pay gap within the next decade, as the gap is large, and most attempts to address systemic issues have been largely ineffective. The debate also highlighted how those in power in the UK, are often deliberately obtuse denying the existence of such systematic issues even with decades of empirical evidence. The evening highlighted the harsh reality faced by ethnic minority professionals, with many not believing change is being made fast enough.

This event was important, as it enabled YDWC to leverage its network of young ethnic minority professionals, to collaborate and equip senior leaders with the right insights to address this gap. Whether you believe the ethnicity pay gap can be closed within the next decade or not, these discussions are crucial and ensure that action is being taken, leaders are being held accountable and change is being made effectively.