April 5 is now firmly etched into the calendars of law firms across the U.K. The day marks the deadline by which U.K. firms must report specific figures about their gender pay gap. The dust has now settled on the second round of reporting and firms can take a sigh of relief—for another year at least. Although limited solely to the U.K., the figures provide a glimpse of how some of the biggest global firms are positioned in terms of their ongoing approach to gender diversity.
Of course, the obligation is not just limited to law firms but encapsulates any U.K. business of 250 employees or more. Last year was the first time in which organizations were required to disclose their pay gap, and although a level of imbalance was expected, the sheer magnitude of the gap took most by surprise. The legal sector was not immune.
