Gender Pay Gap

What is the Gender Pay Gap and why must we publish it?

All businesses employing 250 or more staff are required by law to publish details annually of their gender pay gap
and report this information to Government.

As Mama Bear’s Day Nursery is a large local employer (and proudly so) we fall into this category.

Below is our seventh report covering the period up to the snapshot date of 5 April 2023.

Our vision and commitment to gender equality

Mama Bear’s Day Nursery is an equal opportunities employer. Unlike many industries our workforce and management
is predominately female. So our ‘gender challenge’ is to attract more male workers into childcare, although the best
talent is always encouraged at Mama Bear’s, regardless of gender.

The six metrics required by the legislation

The Gender Pay Gap Regulations require that we report against the following metrics:

• the difference in the mean pay of full-pay men and women, expressed as a percentage
• the difference in the median pay of full-pay men and women, expressed as a percentage
• the difference in mean bonus pay of men and women, expressed as a percentage
• the difference in median bonus pay of men and women, expressed as a percentage
• the proportion of men and women who received bonus pay
• the proportion of full-pay men and women in each of four quartile pay bands

Our results

In producing the figures below we have used the mechanisms that are set out in the gender pay gap reporting legislation.
Our results are as follows:

• the difference in the mean pay of full-pay men and women, expressed as a percentage:
  22.0% (last year was 25.5%)
• the difference in the median pay of full-pay men and women, expressed as a percentage: 1
  8.3% (last year was 1.7%)
• the difference in mean bonus pay of men and women, expressed as a percentage:
  Not applicable as no men received a bonus (last year was also N/A)
• the difference in median bonus pay of men and women, expressed as a percentage:
  Not applicable as no men received a bonus (last year was also N/A)
• the proportion of men and women who received bonus pay:
  Men = 0.0% (last year was 0.0%), Women = 0.0% (last year was 9.4%)

• the proportion of full-pay men and women in each of four quartile pay bands:

What does this mean?

The data tell us that our employees are predominately female. Males make up around 3% of the workforce
and are a relatively small base from which to make comparisons.

As at 5^th April 2023 our net numbers of male employees had fallen by four since the previous year.
The increase in median pay between men and women is due to the relative increase of men in the upper quartile
pay band, despite the decrease in the difference in mean pay.

At the snapshot date we employed one male nursery manager and two other males in managerial positions.

During the previous 12 months there was no bonus scheme in place.

The low number of males in all the quartiles is reflective of the small number of men we employ across the business,
which is reflective of the industry in general. We continue to work with our Recruitment and Apprenticeship Providers
to try to address this.

Our direction for the future

For Mama Bear’s, and for the day care industry in general, staff recruitment and retention remains difficult.
Part of the solution to this is to attract more male carers into the industry, which we continue to try to do.

As childcare is not traditionally seen as a career for men this is particularly challenging.

However we hope that with an inclusive recruitment and apprenticeship programme, as well as the opportunities
for continuous professional development, upskilling and career progression that being a strong local group brings,
we can challenge this way of thinking.