Gender pay gap means women effectively work for free for more than two months of year
Analysis published by the TUC today (Wednesday) reveals that the average woman has to wait more than two months of the calendar year before she starts to get paid, compared to the average man.
The current gender pay gap for all employees stands at 17.9%. This pay gap means that women effectively work for free for the first 65 days of the year, until they begin to get paid on Women’s Pay Day today.
Regional gender pay gaps
The analysis published today – which is also the first day of the TUC’s annual women’s conference in London – 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.
Regional variations in the gender pay gap are likely to be caused by differences in the types of jobs and industries that are most common in that part of the UK.
Industrial gender pay gaps
The analysis also shows that in a number of key industries – even in those dominated by female workers like education and social work – gender pay gaps are even bigger. In these sectors women get paid much less on average than men, both because they are more likely to be in part-time jobs and because they are in lower-paid roles.
TUC Regional Secretary Lee Barron said:
“The UK still has one of the worst gender pay gaps in Europe. Women effectively work for free for two months of the year – and at current rates of progress it’ll take another 60 years for this gap to close.
“Making employers publish information on their gender pay gaps is a start but it’s nowhere near enough. Employers must be legally required to explain how they’ll tackle pay inequality at their workplaces and advertise jobs on a more flexible basis.
“Women in the UK will only start to get paid properly when part-time jobs are better-paid and jobs are flexible from day one. And we need higher wages in key sectors like social care.
“Workplaces that recognise unions are more likely to have family-friendly policies and fair pay. So a good first step for women worried about their pay is to join a union.”
ENDS
- What is Women’s Pay Day?
- Women’s Pay Day by region, source the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2018.
Region |
Gender Pay Gap |
Number of days women work for free |
Women’s Pay Day |
East of England |
20.3% |
74 |
15 March 2019 |
South East |
19.3% |
70 |
11 March 2019 |
East Midlands |
19.2% |
70 |
11 March 2019 |
South West |
18.7% |
68 |
9 March 2019 |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
18.6% |
67 |
8 March 2019 |
West Midlands |
18.3% |
66 |
7 March 2019 |
UK average |
17.9% |
65 |
6 March 2019 |
North East |
17.0% |
62 |
3 March 2019 |
London |
16.7% |
60 |
1 March 2019 |
North West |
16.4% |
59 |
28 February 2019 |
Scotland |
15.0% |
54 |
23 February 2019 |
Wales |
13.6% |
47 |
18 February 2019 |
Northern Ireland |
9.6% |
33 |
4 February 2019 |
- Women’s Pay Day by industry, source the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2018.
Industry |
% gender pay gap |
Number of days |
Women’s Pay Day |
Transport and storage |
4.8% |
18 |
17 January 2019 |
Accommodation and food services |
4.8% |
18 |
17 January 2019 |
Admin and support services |
8.2% |
30 |
29 January 2019 |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
6.8% |
25 |
24 January 2019 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation |
12.1% |
44 |
13 February 2019 |
Real estate |
14.9% |
54 |
23 February 2019 |
Public admin and defence |
15.4% |
56 |
25 February 2019 |
Construction |
16.3% |
59 |
28 February 2019 |
Human health and social work |
17.3% |
63 |
4 March 2019 |
Wholesale and retail, motor vehicle repair |
17.8% |
63 |
5 March 2019 |
All employees |
17.9% |
65 |
6 March 2019 |
Manufacturing |
20.3% |
74 |
15 March 2019 |
Information and communication |
21.2% |
77 |
18 March 2019 |
Professional, scientific and technical |
22.7% |
83 |
23 March 2019 |
Education |
25.9% |
95 |
4 April 2019 |
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning |
26.8% |
98 |
7 April 2019 |
Financial and insurance |
35.7% |
130 |
10 May 2019 |
- The gender pay gap is calculated using all median hourly pay, excluding overtime, for male and female employees from the ONS ASHE data: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2017provisionaland2016revisedresults
- Since 2011 the gender pay gap has fallen by an average of just 0.3 percentage points a year. At this rate it will take around 60 years (until 2078) to achieve pay parity between men and women.
- For information about gender splits in industries please visit: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/employmentbyindustryemp13
- TUC Women’s Conference: Women’s Pay Day falls on the first day of the TUC Women’s Conference, which runs from Wednesday 6-Friday 8 March at the TUC headquarters at Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS.
- Gender pay gap reporting: From 1 April 2017, the government ruled that large companies have to publish information about the difference between average male and female earnings. The TUC believes the government must go further and wants employers to be made to carry out equal pay audits, and to produce action plans to close the pay gap in their workplace. The TUC also wants companies that fail to comply with the law to receive instant fines.
- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 49 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk
020 7467 1248
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