Gender pay gap won't close until 2056 at current pace, warns TUC

"The UK's gender pay gap will not close for another three decades if progress continues at its current rate, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Analysis of official earnings data by the union body shows that the average disparity between men's and women's pay stands at 12.8%, equivalent to £2,548 a year. At that pace of improvement, the gap would not be eliminated until 2056, the TUC said."

"The gap varies sharply by sector. In finance and insurance it is widest at 27.2%, while in leisure services it is just 1.5%. Even in female-dominated sectors such as education and health and social care, the pay gap remains significant at 17% and 12.8% respectively. The gender pay gap reflects the difference in average earnings between men and women across organisations and industries. Companies with more than 250 UK employees are legally required to publish gender pay data."

"The TUC said the disparity means the average woman "effectively works for 47 days of the year for free" compared with male colleagues. "Women have effectively been working for free for the first month and a half of the year compared to men," said TUC general secretary Paul Nowak. "With the cost of living still biting hard, women simply can't afford to keep losing out.""

The UK gender pay gap stands at 12.8%, equivalent to £2,548 per year, and would not close until 2056 at the current rate of improvement. The gap varies sharply by sector, reaching 27.2% in finance and insurance and as low as 1.5% in leisure services; education and health and social care show gaps of 17% and 12.8% respectively. The disparity effectively means the average woman works roughly 47 days a year without pay compared with men. The gap peaks among workers aged 50–59, partly reflecting career interruptions for caring. Expanded flexible working, childcare access and stronger parental leave are proposed remedies.

Read at Business Matters