Leeds Arts University is the only specialist arts university in the north of England. The University has roots dating back to 1846, and since our inception we have made a significant contribution to Arts Education in the UK. We are committed to maintaining a working environment based on the fair treatment of all staff regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex and sexual orientation.
Gender Pay Gap and Equal Pay
The gender pay gap refers to the differences in the average pay of men and women. It does not take account of different jobs but reports on the difference in average pay for all staff employed by an organisation. We are required by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 to provide and publish both the mean and median gender pay gap figures as well as the percentage of males and females in each of the four pay quartiles by 31st March each year, and these are detailed in this report.
The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay. Equal Pay legislation in the UK requires that men and women who carry out the same or similar jobs, or work of equal value, are paid the same. The University is a member of the Educational Competencies Consortium and all roles below Senior Postholder level are evaluated using the HERA job evaluation system which was developed by the sector for the sector, to ensure that work of equal value falls into the same pay grade.
Gender Pay Gap Data 2025
Mean gender pay gap - 9%
Median gender pay gap - 11%
The mean gender bonus pay gap - 0%
The median gender bonus pay gap - 0%
The mean pay gap has increased compared to last year whilst the median pay gap remains unchanged. To understand the gender pay gaps, a detailed analysis has been undertaken on the staff employed at the census date of 31/3/24, starting with an analysis of our workforce profile:
Employment category at census date | Male | Female |
Established | 135 | 172 |
Lecturer Pool | 0 | 0 |
Student Ambassadors | 1 | 2 |
Total | 136 | 174 |
56% of our workforce are female down from 59% last year.
Two key groups of staff are employed, Academic and Business Support:
Academic Staff
Mean gender pay gap - 3.2% higher for females
Median gender pay gap - 6.1% higher for females
Business Support Staff
Mean gender pay gap - 11.54% lower for females
Median gender pay gap - 13.65% lower for females
The percentage of male and females in each quartile of our payroll on the census date, with quartile 1 being the lowest paid and quartile 4 being the highest paid is shown in the table below, with the previous 2 years’ figures provided for comparison purposes.  This data is for all staff including any casual staff employed on the census date.
Quartile | Men | Women | ||||
| 2025 (%) | 2024 (%) | 2023 (%) | 2025 (%) | 2024 (%) | 2023 (%) |
Quartile 1 (Lower Quartile) | 36.4 | 36.3 | 28.7 | 63.6 | 63.7 | 71.3 |
Quartile 2 | 38.5 | 34.6 | 39.8 | 61.5 | 65.4 | 60.2 |
Quartile 3 | 52.0 | 50.6 | 43.7 | 48.0 | 49.4 | 56.3 |
Quartile 4 (Upper Quartile) | 48.7 | 43.7 | 42.0 | 51.3 | 56.3 | 58.0 |
Whilst we employ more female staff than male across three of the four quarters (and in quartile 3 this is only 3 more males), there remain significantly more females than males in the lowest paid two quartiles which is the main reason behind the gender pay gap. The staffing profile is also more female dominated in Business Support staff, and roles in this group start at a lower salary range than academic staff.
There are other factors which have impacted on the data this year including higher levels of turnover in some areas leading to overall staffing profiles changing, but little turnover in senior roles within the institution. Given the University’s size, the salary (and quartile data) continues to be influenced by this turnover, with new staff typically starting on the bottom point of their pay grade.
The University has a smaller gender pay gap than published nationally. On 23rd October 2025, the Office for National Statistics published 2025 data on the Gender Pay Gap in the UK: “Among all employees, the gender pay gap decreased to 12.8% in April 2025, down from 13.1% in April 2024.” The University’s gap remains lower than this data which is calculated on the basis of ASHE (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
The small numbers of staff involved make the data sensitive to small fluctuations which has contributed to this year’s changes. We will continue to monitor the detail behind any reported figures and act where appropriate.
These figures have been reported to our Senior Management Team and considered by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.