The latest report from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) highlights that work remains to be done in terms of gender and ethnicity pay gaps
For the seventh year running, RIBA has examined architecture pay gaps and tracked trends to see whether the gaps are closing or not.
This year shows quite a rise in the median, particularly in gender pay gaps, but the mean tells a more hopeful story.
A median growth of nearly 5% between men and women in the built environment
Last year’s report put the median for gender pay differences at 6.29%, but that has grown in this report to 11.22%. The mean, however, sits at 12.29% this year, down from last year’s 12.81%.
The report asserts that this is likely indicative that the gap at the highest pay levels has reduced, while the middle pay bands continue to exhibit a strong difference.
In terms of ethnicity, both the median and the mean pay gaps have increased, with the median rising from last year’s 10.45% to 10.79%, and the mean rising from last year’s 9.48% to 14.33%, meaning change was found in the upper quartiles due to small changes in senior hiring having more of an impact.
“There is more work to do”
RIBA chief executive, Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE, said: “Today we are publishing RIBA’s 2025 gender and ethnicity pay gap data as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability.
“This year’s results show that gender and ethnicity pay gaps remain within our organisation. While year-on-year movements can reflect changes in workforce composition and progression patterns, we recognise that sustained and deliberate action is required to reduce these gaps over time.
“In 2025, all colleagues undertook Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training, with Inclusive Leadership training delivered to senior staff. Senior leaders also participated in our Management Development Programme to strengthen inclusive leadership capability.
“We continue to review how and where we advertise roles to ensure opportunities are communicated as widely as possible, and we explicitly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. In 2026/27, we plan to implement a new HR system including an applicant tracking tool to strengthen how we collect and analyse workforce data, and to broaden our reporting over time, including exploring disability pay gap reporting.
“We recognise there is more work to do. We remain committed to examining our policies, progression pathways and recruitment practices to ensure RIBA is an inclusive, fair and equitable place to work, and we will continue to report openly on our progress. We also acknowledge the current binary framework of gender pay reporting and would welcome a more inclusive approach in future legislation.”
More information on the report can be found here.
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