On the frosty morning of 15 th January 2026; surveyors, academics, industry leaders
and real estate professionals came together at RICS, Birmingham for a seminar
and roundtable on one of the sector’s most persistent challenges: the gender pay
gap in real estate and surveying.
Hosted by the RICS Birmingham Local Member Group in collaboration with
Warwick Business School, the University of Birmingham, and Real Estate
Women (REWomen), the event brought together research, lived experience and
open dialogue – underscoring both the complexity of the issue and the collective
desire to drive change.
Why the Gender Pay Gap Still Matters in 2026
The latest RICS insight report (July 2023) showed that women in surveying and the
built environment continue to face:
- Discrimination
- Conscious and unconscious bias
- Unequal access to key opportunities
- Systemic practices that reinforce career stagnation
While the average pay gap in real estate is lower than in sectors like finance, the
picture is far from uniform. Corporate real estate still sees significant pay and bonus
disparities, while social housing shows near-zero gaps. As the research itself shows:
“Where there is money, there is a gender pay gap.”
This contrast reveals that the issue is deeply structural – not simply the result of
individual choices.
Inside the Research: What Drives the Gap?
Dr. Manuela Galetto (Warwick Business School) and Dr. Fuk Ying Tse (Ying)
(University of Birmingham) presented early findings from their multi-year research
project on real estate pay structures and gender dynamics. Their work, which began
during COVID as a desktop study of companies’ legally-required gender pay gap
reports, has evolved into a rich data set of interviews, narratives and sector
comparisons.
Key insights included:
- Confusion Between Equal Pay and the Gender Pay Gap
Many professionals still conflate equal pay (same job, same pay – already a legal
requirement) with the broader gender pay gap, which reflects who makes it to
senior, fee-earning and bonus-eligible positions.
2. Bonus structures widen the gap
Bonus gaps in real estate routinely exceed 70%, particularly in capital markets roles
where high-value transactions are concentrated in the hands of men.
3. Visibility and gatekeeping matter
Access to:
- fee-generating work
- high-profile clients
- sponsorship
- leadership exposure…
- and… the “unwritten rules” that shape career trajectories and therefore pay outcomes.
4. Interventions tend to be short-term and optics-driven
Flexible working, enhanced parental leave and mentorship programmes are
common, but they do not shift the structural norms that determine which roles are
valued or who is seen as “partner material”.
As Dr. Tse framed it:
“We can keep helping women meet the existing expectations or we can rethink
the expectations themselves.”
Group Discussions: What the Industry Is Really Facing
Roundtable discussions were lively, honest and in some cases deeply personal.
Across tables, several themes emerged:
- Fee Generation Is Central to Progression
In many firms, bonuses and promotions rest on revenue targets, achieved directly or
indirectly from managed employees.
Women reported:
- being excluded from revenue-rich portfolios
- inheriting smaller or lower-fee accounts
- senior men automatically defaulting to male colleagues for big mandates
Without equitable access to fee-earning work, pay equality is mathematically
impossible.
- Flexible Working Is Still Penalised
Despite real estate promoting flexibility, many participants admitted:
- flexible or part-time workers “fall out of sight”
- men rarely take extended parental leave
- career breaks still carry stigma
- progression frameworks often assume uninterrupted, linear careers
As one attendee put it:
“Flexibility is great, but it still comes with a price tag.”
- Cultural Change Is the Missing Link
Women spoke about:
- guilt around childcare
- lack of sponsorship
- informal networks (“pub culture”)
- inconsistent access to opportunities
- opaque promotion processes
Men in the room also acknowledged that taking up parental leave or asking for
flexibility is often not encouraged.
The Role of RICS: What Should Happen Next?
RICS’ Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Sybil Tauton – participated actively in
discussions, highlighting both the Institution’s commitment and the constraints of
operating as a regulator within the profession it regulates.
Suggestions from participants included:
✔ RICS-led sector-wide reporting on the gender pay gap
Not just relying on government-mandated reports, but creating real estate–specific
analysis.
✔ Clearer expectations for RICS-regulated firms
Some argued RICS should require:
transparency on gender pay gaps – mandatory reporting by regulated firms
diversity action plans
reporting against benchmarks
✔ Guidance for early-career professionals
Including:
- job title comparability
- salary benchmarking
- negotiation guidance
- awareness of enhanced maternity/paternity policies
✔ A focus on sponsorship and visibility
Ensuring women are supported not only procedurally, but strategically.
A Collective Effort: Where We Go From Here
As Maria Wiedner, CEO of Cambridge Finance and Founder of REWomen,
summarised:
“The gender pay gap isn’t about men and women being paid differently for the
same job.
It’s about the fact that men hold the jobs that pay more.”
If the profession wants equity, it must address:
- who gets the opportunities
- who gets access to clients and fees
- who is visible to senior decision-makers
- who is supported through life stages
- who defines “productivity” in the first place
The event highlighted a strong appetite for constructive change; not just talk, but
practical action.
A Final Word
Thank you to all speakers, sponsors, researchers and attendees for your openness,
insight and commitment. Conversations like this are not just beneficial, they are
essential.
The gender pay gap will not close through policy alone. It will close through:
- daily decisions
- leadership behaviours
- transparent systems
- equitable access to opportunity
- men taking equal parental responsibility
- women being valued across all levels and functions
This collaborative roundtable was a meaningful step toward that future. Let’s keep
the needle moving!