Illustration of a woman sat at her laptop (only her hands visible) with a cup of tea
It was only after I resigned from the role that I felt able to put in a grievance to the company (Picture: Ella Byworth for

Like many women around the UK, I have been paid less than my male colleagues.

I was a CEO, loved my role and the company, but I felt undervalued when I found out that two other male CEOs, running much smaller companies in the same group, were being paid significantly more than I was. So I resigned.

I couldn’t understand it – the company I ran was three times bigger in sales and delivered 24 times as much profit to the group – so started pursuing a claim against my former employer, which I have been fighting for the past few years.

It’s exhausting, mentally draining, demoralising, confidence destroying, time-consuming, intellectually challenging, uplifting and depressing all at the same time.

But I can’t stop.


Because, if I can’t win this and make my own little contribution to the progress of pay equality for all women, then what chance has anyone got? And what is the point of it all?

The job I was doing was my dream role. I had been promoted and was so proud. Then they told me I wasn’t getting a pay rise due to current business performance, despite the significant increase in responsibility I had taken on.

I argued my case, but there was no movement. Then the new financial year started and I was told I still wasn’t getting a pay rise.

It was only after I resigned from the role, knowing that I had the security of another job to go to, that I felt able to put in a grievance to the company.

I was furious. I hadn’t had a pay rise since I joined the company (other than inflationary), yet I’d been promoted twice. I asked to go back to my old job but was told the role didn’t exist anymore.

It was only after I resigned from the role, knowing that I had the security of another job to go to, that I felt able to put in a grievance to the company. This complaint resulted in very little, other than a small part of the salary difference.

It is Equal Pay Day today, which is the day when women stop being paid relative to men, on average – the day in the year when women effectively start working for free.  A report by Fawcett Society says that 60 per cent of women in workplaces across the UK either don’t know what their male colleagues earn, or believe they are earning less than men who are doing the same job.


This doesn’t surprise me. Three in ten (29 per cent) women also said that they had no idea what any of their male colleagues were paid.

Considering how many women are affected by pay gaps at work, the process for women to fight for their right to equal pay is far from accessible.

When I consulted a lawyer about my case, they told me I would have a 70 per cent chance of success. Yet, when I weighed up the cost and the likely tribunal award if I won, it just wasn’t worth pursuing.

The cost of a lawyer to support an equal pay claim can cost £50-£100k and there is always a risk that we wouldn’t win.

Why would women pay £100k to possibly only get part of it back?

I’m now running the case myself, which is incredibly difficult. The law is complex, which is why cases take years to reach a tribunal decision.

It’s becoming clear that this will be difficult to win when I don’t really understand how to present my case appropriately. I would urge other women to contact The Fawcett Society’s Equal Pay Advice Service, it’s run in partnership with YESS Law and they offer free confidential legal advice to those earning under  £30,000.

Ultimately, the whole system needs to change with a simpler tribunal process, access to lower legal costs and compensatory awards that would act as a deterrent and compensate the victim for their lost pay and their legal costs.


I feel really strongly about the cause; I feel strongly that I was discriminated against; I feel passionately for the women who still work for that employer who may be being discriminated against in their pay, and I feel strongly for all the other women who don’t have the resources, confidence or mental strength to fight for this. I want to stand up for them.

Today on Equal Pay Day, the Fawcett Society is launching a campaign to change the law. They want women to have the ‘Right to Know’ if they are being paid less than male colleagues doing equal work.

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