National College of Ireland published the College’s fourth Gender Pay Gap report on November 28th, 2025.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act was signed into law in 2021. In 2022, regulations followed that require all companies in Ireland who employ more than 250 (150 since 2024) people to annually report on their Gender Pay Gap (GPG).
Gender Pay Gap vs. Equal Pay: Note the difference
When discussing the “Gender Pay Gap,” it is important that it is not confused with “Equal Pay.” In Ireland, it is illegal to not pay the same money to two people doing the same job in the same circumstances. The “Gender Pay Gap” refers to the institutional overview of the difference in pay for men and women across all levels and contract types.
Understanding NCI’s Gender Pay Gap
NCI’s gender pay gap is not straightforward. It can be challenging to understand the gender pay gap for NCI due to the range of projects and roles within the College. Further complexities must be considered such as the wider society values that are placed on areas such as early years versus post graduate education.
At National College of Ireland, two areas in particular affect the gender pay gap. These areas are Associate Faculty (AF) and the Early Learning Initiative (ELI).
Associate Faculty (AF) are staff who work part-time for NCI, lecturing/teaching on particular modules/programmes. AF can be on either fixed term/temporary or permanent contracts and are paid an hourly rate which is based on the level of the course they are teaching, i.e. postgraduate teaching staff are paid a higher rate than undergraduate teaching staff.
If one removes these outliers (AF and ELI), NCI’s Gender Pay Gap is a mean of 7.2% and a median of 11.8%. This is below national average, but there has been a slight increase since 2024.
When all staff are included, there is a GPG of 29.4% mean and 41.3% median; this is an increase from 2024, where it was a mean of 24.1% and a median of 40.7%.
We can see that when Associate Faculty and ELI are included, NCI’s Gender Pay Gap is more significant. This is due to the complexities of these two areas, and the analysis of the very differing sectors within NCI being put together, as required by legislation.
Further context regarding ELI
The Early Learning Initiative (ELI) is a specialist programme targeted at eliminating educational disadvantage, with a focus on early childhood development. This sector is highly gendered and often low paid, and we see this both nationally and internationally. ELI staff make up 18% of NCI staff, and 30% of staff excluding AF staff from the overall staff figure. Within ELI, 97% of staff, (excluding lectures/teaching staff) are women, and most, by choice, are in part-time roles.
Regarding pay, conditions, progression, and encouraging and supporting ELI staff to gain qualifications, NCI/ELI has been ahead of the sector. ELI staff are offered full-time permanent contracts and educational opportunities. ELI staff members are also provided with family friendly flexibility, and this flexibility allows them to balance their jobs and caring responsibilities.
This is a highly specific programme, unique in the higher education sector.
The majority of ELI staff are women, and most of these women do have caring responsibilities to consider, so most of our ELI staff members opt to utilise those family friendly flexibility options as these options have been hugely significant when it comes to ensuring that people are able to stay in employment, progress in their careers, and advance their education.
ELI highlights the impact on percentages of slight changes where the gender balance of staff is significantly skewed.
NCI’s Early Learning Initiative and the way it has been established is critical to the empowerment of women from the local community, some of whom have been educationally and/or economically disadvantaged, but because their hourly rate is being analysed alongside the College’s academic and professional staff in a gender pay analysis, there is a fundamental impact on the overall Gender Pay Gap figure in National College of Ireland.
Strategic actions towards closing the gender pay gap
NCI is engaged in several strategies aimed at improving the position of women in the College overall, which will have an impact on the GPG. As noted above, NCI remains committed to the model and work of ELI, therefore, as this programme is analysed within an academic institution, the GPG will be unlikely to ever reach zero for the institution as a whole.
While the ongoing cost-of-living crisis continues to exert pressure on both employees and employers, the College remains committed to supporting its workforce. It continues to provide a competitive and comprehensive benefits package aimed at promoting staff wellbeing and encouraging long-term retention. Notwithstanding the wider economic landscape, the College is dedicated to maintaining an attractive employment proposition and to closely monitoring the factors that may impact recruitment and retention across all staff groups.
For more information and further details, please find NCI’s fourth Gender Pay Gap Report 2025 to learn more.
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