WiPA’s Pay and Progression Toolkit
Welcome to our Pay and Progression Toolkit.
The purpose of this toolkit is to help dispel gender-based disparities in the public affairs sector by equipping our members and their employers with the tools they need to address this.
We will be publishing a number of guides for employees and employers on key subjects to support women’s pay and progression.
The first Pay Negotiation Guide was published in 2024, to support our members in navigating salary discussions, whether you’re stepping into a new role or eyeing a well-deserved promotion.
The second is an Employer Guide which we proudly launched in 2025, aimed at supporting employers to create more inclusive and transparent workplaces that better advance women’s pay, career development and retention across the public affairs sector.
Our future guide will look at exploring the theme of flexible working in more depth and cover guidance on supporting women with returning to work, whether after a career break or maternity leave.
Source: WiPA 2023 Annual Survey Results
Our 2025 member survey
As a mission-led network, we are campaigning for pay and progression transparency, putting member feedback and our research findings into action to help improve the industry.
We run an annual survey, led by research agency Opinium. The 2025 results revealed that pay transparency at the point of entry has improved across public affairs, as the industry has seen a growth in the number of firms including salaries on job adverts to over half (60%), a notable rise from 48% last year. However, more needs to be done to support women in their roles as the proportion of women who feel uncomfortable or very uncomfortable negotiating their salary with their line manager or boss has increased from 48% last year, to 62% this year.
Our Pay and Transparency Toolkit aims to dispel gender-based disparities in the public affairs sector and equip our members and their employers with tools to address this.
WiPA 2025 Survey respondents on Pay & Transparency…
“I believe there are differences in what men vs women are paid for the same roles, and a
difference what people are paid depending on whether they progress inside the business
or are hired externally.”
““Because there are clear discrepancies between staff pay (e.g. people on same role
being paid different amounts) and they don’t want to draw attention or have to justify
this.”
”
“I can only think it has to do with the gender pay gap. I know for a fact that my peers (in
my team reporting to the same line manager) earn more than me for having the same
level of responsibility. All but one are men.”
Further Resources
Harvard Kennedy School Guides
Women in Public Affairs (WiPA) is a private company limited by guarantee. WiPA does not provide lobbying services and does not represent the interests of third-party clients. All advocacy undertaken by WiPA or its representatives is issue-based and focused solely on advancing WiPA’s mission to promote pay transparency, inclusive recruitment, and fair progression in the public affairs sector. WiPA is a non-partisan organisation and does not endorse or support any political party, candidate, or government official.