What the research covers 

The PSC carried out qualitative research on behalf of OEO, conducting 61 in-depth interviews with employees who had experienced pay discrimination or discrimination affecting pay, employers, and organisations supporting people through workplace disputes and legal processes. 

The research explores: 

• How pay discrimination is experienced by people on the basis of race and disability. 
• The barriers people face when identifying discrimination and seeking redress. 
• Employers' experiences of responding to claims. 
• The perspectives of support organisations on how the current system could be improved. 

Why this matters 

The findings highlight that many people experiencing pay discrimination never pursue formal complaints because of barriers including limited pay transparency, lack of awareness of legal rights, fear of repercussions, emotional strain, and the complexity of employment tribunal processes. 

The research also identifies particular challenges for disabled people requiring reasonable adjustments, people with insecure immigration status, and outsourced workers, who often face additional barriers to recognising and challenging discriminatory treatment. 

By bringing together the perspectives of employees, employers and support organisations, the research provides valuable evidence to inform future policy aimed at tackling pay discrimination and improving access to justice. 

Key takeaways 

• A lack of pay transparency made it difficult for many employees to identify potential discrimination, particularly where performance-related pay or senior pay decisions were involved.
• The route to redress was widely seen as complex and inaccessible, with emotional strain, cost, limited awareness of legal rights and lengthy tribunal processes preventing many people from pursuing claims.
• Employers described relatively few direct cases of pay discrimination, but acknowledged that greater pay transparency and more consistent workplace policies could help strengthen trust and prevent disputes.
• Support organisations reported that only a small proportion of people experiencing pay discrimination reach an employment tribunal, citing barriers including cost, complexity, lack of legal understanding and fear of consequences.
• Interviewees consistently highlighted the value of preventative action, including greater pay transparency, clearer employer accountability and better support for employees before issues escalate to formal legal proceedings.

Read the full the report 

You can access the full report here: The lived experience of pay discrimination on the basis of race and disability (GOV.UK). 

Get in touch 

If you'd like to discuss the research or learn more about our policy and social research services, please get in touch with the team at The PSC.