The Equality Act 2010 defines a job evaluation scheme as a study undertaken to evaluate the jobs being done in an undertaking 'in terms of the demands made on a person by reference to factors such effort, skill and decision-making.' A woman’s work is rated as equivalent to a man’s if their jobs are given equal value 'in terms of the demands made on a worker', or would have been given equal value if a non-discriminatory system had been used.
Job evaluation schemes are important because:
a) A woman can claim equal pay on the ground that a scheme has rated her job, although different, as equivalent to that of a man (this is known as a ‘work rated as equivalent’ claim).
b) An employer can defend a claim for equal pay for work of equal value if a non-discriminatory analytical job evaluation scheme rates the woman's job as lower in value than her male comparator's job. This is known as the job evaluation defence.