New analysis by the UK trade unions federation the TUC has revealed that the average woman effectively works for free for nearly seven weeks a year, compared to the average man.
According to the TUC, this is partly because women tend to be employed in lower-paid roles than men. Additionally, women are more likely to work part-time to accommodate for extended caring responsibilities throughout their lives, therefore taking a significant pay cut. The TUC emphasises that the gender pay gap has remained stubbornly high over the years.
Gender Pay Gap by Age
The TUC analysis shows that the gender pay gap affects women throughout their careers, from their first step on the ladder until they take retirement.
The gender pay gap is widest for middle-aged and older women:
- Women aged 40 to 49 have a gender pay gap of 16.5%, so work 60 days for free until March 2nd 2025.
- Women aged between 50 and 59 have the highest pay gap (18.9%) and work the equivalent of 69 days for free, until March 11th 2025.
- Women aged 60 and over have a gender pay gap of 17.5%. They work 64 days of the year for free and they start earning from March 6th 2025.
The TUC says the gender pay gap widens as women get older, due to women being more likely to take on unpaid caring responsibilities. Older women take a bigger financial hit for balancing work alongside unpaid caring responsibilities throughout their lives – often looking after children, older relatives, and/or grandchildren.
Regional Gender Pay Gaps
The analysis shows that in some parts of the country, gender pay gaps are even bigger, so their Women’s Pay Day is later in the year.
- The gender pay gap is largest in the South East of England (17.8%). Women in this region work 65 days for free and they work for free until March 7th .
- Women in London (14.9% pay gap) also work for free until February 23rd .
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Everyone should be paid fairly for the job that they do. But working women are still waiting for pay parity. The Employment Rights Bill can help to close the gender pay gap by banning exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts that hit women the hardest. And introducing fair pay agreements will boost pay and conditions in social care which has a female-dominated workforce. Government policy to make employers publish action plans for tackling their gender pay gaps can also make a real difference.
“Women contribute so much to our economy. They don’t deserve to be treated like second-class workers.”
The gender pay gap: The overall gender pay gap is calculated using all median hourly pay, excluding overtime, for all male and female employees using the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data. The gender pay gap percentage (13.1% in the latest ASHE data) is then translated into days.
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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
