Maynooth University (MU) has a deep commitment to equality and inclusion. Since 2022, all organisations with over 250 employees have been required to report on their Gender Pay Gap, as per the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. MU welcomed the introduction of statutory gender pay gap reporting in Ireland as an important tool for promoting gender equality in the higher education sector.
Our 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report can be accessed at this link:
Gender Pay Gap Report - MU 2024
Using the snapshot date of 30/06/2024, MU’s mean hourly pay gap for all staff is 9.38% (Table 1).
Table 1: Maynooth University Gender Pay Gap Data (2024), using the snapshot date of 30/06/2024
| Mean Hourly Pay Gap — All Staff | Median Hourly Pay Gap — All Staff | Mean Hourly Pay Gap — Temporary Employees | Median Hourly Pay Gap — Temporary Employees | Mean Hourly Pay Gap —Part Time Employees | Median Hourly Pay Gap — Part Time Employees | |
| Maynooth University | 9.38% | 8.86% | 1.03% | -1.82% | 14.89% | 12.41% |
MU has a higher percentage of female staff in the lower, and lower middle quartile pay bands compared to the upper middle and upper quartile pay bands which are gender balanced (Table 2).
Table 2. Proportion of male and female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands (2024), using the snapshot date of 30/06/2024
| Quartile 1 Lower |
Quartile 2 Lower middle |
Quartile 3 Upper middle |
Quartile 4 Upper |
|
| Female | 64.02% | 64.20% | 60.62% | 46.35% |
| Male | 35.98% | 35.80% | 39.38% | 53.65% |
MU saw a 0.61% reduction in the Mean Hourly Pay Gap for all staff in 2024 (Table 3):
Table 3. Maynooth University Gender Pay Gap Data (2022 vs 2023 vs 2024), using the snapshot date of 30/06/2022, 30/06/2023 & 30/06/2024.
| Maynooth University | 2022 | % Change |
2023 | % Change | 2024 |
| Mean Hourly Pay Gap – All Staff | 7.03% | +2.96% | 9.99% | -0.61% | 9.38% |
| Median Hourly Pay Gap – All Staff | 10.11% | +0.59% | 10.60% | -1.74% | 8.86% |
| Mean Hourly Pay Gap – Temporary Employees | -1.20% | +15.10 | 13.90% | -12.87% | 1.03% |
| Median Hourly Pay Gap – Temporary Employees | 4.00% | -1.12% | 2.88% | -4.70% | -1.82% |
| Mean Hourly Pay Gap – Part Time Employees | 9.10% | -1.98% | 7.12% | +7.77% | 14.89% |
| Median Hourly Pay Gap – Part Time Employees | 3.58% | +6.11% | 9.69% | +2.72% | 12.41% |
When comparing to the same dataset from 2023, the 2024 female relevant employee headcount has increased by 86, while the male relevant employee headcount increased by 78. The proportion of female employees in the upper quartile band decreased slightly from 48% in 2023 to 46.35% in 2024, and the proportion of female employees in the lower quartile band also decreased from 67% in 2023 to 64% in 2024.
Table 4. Proportion of female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands (2022 vs 2023 vs 2024), using the snapshot date of 30/06/22, 30/06/2023 & 30/06/2024
| Quartile | 2022 % F | % Change |
2023 % F | % Change |
2024% F |
| Quartile 1 Lower | 62.23% | +4.54% | 66.77% | -3.03% | 63.74% |
| Quartile 2 Lower middle | 66.67% | -0.96% | 65.71% | -1.40% | 64.31% |
| Quartile 3 Upper middle | 58.59% | -0.90% | 57.69% | +2.93% | 60.62% |
| Quartile 4 Upper | 46.80% | +1.44% | 48.24% | -1.89% | 46.35% |
MU recognises the importance of addressing the gender pay gap to ensure we continue to attract, develop, and retain talented people. Reasons for the Gender Pay Gap are likely to comprise a combination of institutional and external factors, including differences between men and women in length of service, historically gender segregated occupations, career progression, educational attainment and qualifications, the prevalence of full-time and part-time working, gender differences in salary relating to length of service (see CSO Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, Mean Earnings per Hour by Length of Service and Sex, 2022), the gendered nature of caring and family responsibilities, and the impact that this has on female career advancement.
Our 2022 Gender Pay Gap Report can be accessed at this link: Gender Pay Gap Report - MU 2022 Our 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report can be accessed at this link: Gender Pay Gap Report - MU 2023