Gender Pay Gap 2023
4. Our gender pay gap
Our gender pay gap at Dorset Police
Police officer gender pay gap
In addressing our pay gap, it is helpful to understand the different, although similar, issues reflecting our two distinct staff groups. Of the 1,431 police officer headcount, 67 % (959) were men and 33% (472) were women. The distribution of women across the ranks is not proportionate however. The % gap for officers overall is shown below. The overall gap of 4.53% has reduced from 5.99% on the previous year.
Promotion support for women continues to assist talent development and progression at all ranks.
| Police Officer | Men | Women | % Gap |
| Mean | £20.55 | £19.62 | 4.53 |
| Median | £20.71 | £20.62 | 0.45 |
Police staff gender pay gap
Of the 1,353 police staff headcount 62.7% are women and 37.3% are men and the pay gap is shown below. The gap has increased slightly compared with the previous year. The gap is mostly attributed to length of service within pay bands. Additionally, women occupy 62.74% of the roles in the lowest pay bands A to E which is a 3% decrease on the previous year. In 2023 we launched a new initiative focussing on Police Staff career paths, this aims to help women in lower grades to develop and progress their careers.
| Police Staff | Men | Women | % Gap |
| Mean | £16.79 | £15.80 | 5.90 |
| Median | £15.73 | £14.36 | 8.71 |
Our quartile ranges
We have seen positive movement across the lower, lower mid and upper mid quartiles with women progressing across the pay bands and moving up the quartile ranges.
2023 quartile ranges
| 2023 | Men | Women | Up or down compared to 2022 |
| Top quartile | 69.29% | 30.71% | |
| Upper mid quartile | 57.50% | 42.50% | Up |
| Lower mid quartile | 47.60% | 52.40% | Up |
| Lower quartile | 37.15% | 62.45% | Down |
2022 quartile ranges
| 2022 | Men | Women |
| Top quartile | 69.23% | 30.77% |
| Upper mid quartile | 58.06% | 41.94% |
| Lower mid quartile | 49.78% | 50.22% |
| Lower quartile | 34.83% | 65.17% |