Kieran England
Thesis Title: The Transgender Pay Gap: Recognising and Safeguarding Trans and Non-Binary Workers in the Equality Act
The gender pay gap is commonly defined as the difference in earnings where men earn more than women. Yet, this definition overlooks the significance of transphobic discrimination in explaining discrepancies in the average earnings of trans and non-binary employees. Since 2018, employers with over 250 employees are required to publish annual reports outlining gendered differences in earnings under the Equality Act (2004). Gender pay gap reports include information on hourly wage comparisons and the proportion of men and women in each pay quartile. However, because employers can only legally categorise an employee as either 'man' or 'woman', data on the pay gap between trans and non-trans employees is scarce. I refer to this pay gap as the ‘transgender pay gap’. My proposed research seeks to improve the inclusion of trans and non-binary employees in the Equality Act (2004) – specifically its laws on gender pay gap reporting – which would subsequently allow the Government and general public to access data on the transgender pay gap. My project aims to:
1. Explore trans and non-binary people’s experiences of employment.
2. Identify the factors that contribute to the transgender pay gap.
3. Outline ways in which the recognition and safeguarding of trans and non-binary employees can be improved in the Equality Act, specifically regarding gender pay gap reporting.
4. Evaluate the implications and practicality of amending the Equality Act to address the transgender pay gap.
Biography
Kieran England is a doctoral researcher based in the School of Politics & International Relations at the University of Nottingham. His thesis focuses on the transgender pay gap and is supervised by Dr Gulshan Khan and Dr Natalie Martin.
Before starting his PhD at the University of Nottingham, Kieran studied BA Politics at Nottingham Trent University and MA Social Science Research (Politics & International Relations) at the University of Nottingham.
Kieran's expertise is in critical theories and methodologies, feminist theory and movements, LGBTQ+ issues, and social policy.
Other Research Interests
The construction of social norms regarding sex, gender and sexuality, and the Gender Recognition Act (2004) and 'Self-Identification'
Political Science & International Relations
University of Nottingham
2021 Cohort +3
SupervisoryTeam
Dr Gulshan Khan
Dr Natalie Martin