In parts of the country and in some industries where the gender pay gap is wider, women effectively work for free for even longer
TUC calls on ministers to boost rights to flexible working, and for cash injection for childcare sector
The average woman in paid employment effectively works for free for nearly two months of the year compared to the average man in paid employment, according to analysis published by the TUC today (Thursday).
The gender pay gap for all employees currently stands at 14.9%. This pay gap means that working women must wait 54 days – nearly eight weeks, or two months – before they stop working for free on Women’s Pay Day today.
Gender pay gap by age
The TUC analysis shows that the gender pay gap is widest for older women, so they have to wait longer for their Women’s Pay Day.
Women aged between 50 and 59 have the highest pay gap (20.8%) and work the equivalent of 76 days for free, until Thursday 16 March 2023.
Women aged 60 and over have a gender pay gap of 18.4%. They work 67 days of the year for free before they stop working for free on Wednesday 8 March 2023.
The gender pay gap widens once a woman becomes a mum. And older women take a financial hit for balancing work alongside caring for older relatives as well as children and grandchildren, says the TUC.
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 (17.9%). Women in this region work 65 days for free and they work for free until Monday 6 March 2023.
Women in the East of England (17.5% pay gap) and the East Midlands (16.6%) also work for free until next month (Saturday 4 March and Wednesday 1 March).
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 country, says the TUC.
Industrial gender pay gaps
Despite the introduction of gender pay gap reporting back in 2017, the analysis published by the TUC today shows that there are still big gender pay gaps in many industries.
Even in jobs that tend to be dominated by female workers like education and healthcare the gender pay gap persists.
In these sectors women get paid much less per hour on average than men, both because they are more likely to be in part-time jobs or are in lower-paid roles.
In education the gender pay gap is 22.2%, so the average woman effectively works for free for more than a fifth of the year (81 days) until Wednesday 22 March 2023.
In health care and social work jobs, where the gender pay gap is 14%, the average woman works for free for 51 days until Monday 20 February 2023.
The longest wait for Women’s Pay Day comes in finance and insurance. The gender pay gap (31.2%) is the equivalent of 114 days, meaning women work for free for nearly a third of the year until Sunday 23 April 2023.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
“Working women deserve equal pay. But at current rates of progress, it will take more than 20 years to close the gender pay gap.
“That's just not good enough. We can’t consign yet another generation of women to pay inequality.
“It’s clear that just publishing gender pay gaps isn’t working. Companies must be required to publish action plans to explain what steps they’ll take to close their pay gaps. And bosses who don’t comply with the law should be fined.
“The pandemic highlighted that we can do more to help women balance their caring responsibilities and work. Flexible working is key to keeping mums in jobs and is our best way of closing the gender pay gap.
“We should change the law so that all jobs are advertised with all the possible flexible options clearly stated. And all workers must have the legal right to work flexibly from their first day in a job.”
On childcare and parental leave, Paul added:
“It’s clear that the gender pay gap widens dramatically once women become mums. We need ministers to fund childcare from the end of maternity leave to support working parents – along with better wages and recognition for childcare workers.
“And both parents need to be able to share responsibility for caring for their kids. Dads and partners need better rights to well-paid leave that they can take in their own right. Otherwise, mums will continue to take on the bulk of caring responsibilities – and continue to take the financial hit."
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 (14.9% in the latest ASHE data) is then translated into days.
The latest ASHE data is available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2022
- Women’s pay day by age, source ONS ASHE, 2022.
Age |
% gender pay gap |
Number of days women work for free |
Women’s Pay Day |
18-21 |
0.6% |
2 |
2 January 2023 |
22-29 |
3.9% |
14 |
14 January 2023 |
30-39 |
11.7% |
43 |
11 February 2023 |
All ages |
14.9% |
54 |
23 February 2023 |
40-49 |
18.1% |
66 |
7 March 2023 |
50-59 |
20.8% |
76 |
16 March 2023 |
60+ |
18.4% |
67 |
8 March 2023 |
- Women’s pay day by region, source ONS ASHE, 2022.
Region |
Gender pay gap |
Number of days women work for free |
Women’s Pay Day |
South east |
17.9% |
65 |
6 March 2023 |
East of England |
17.5% |
64 |
4 March 2023 |
East Midlands |
16.6% |
60.6 |
1 March 2023 |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
16.5% |
60 |
1 March 2023 |
North east |
15.0% |
55 |
23 February 2023 |
UK average |
14.9% |
54 |
23 February 2023 |
South west |
14.8% |
54 |
23 February 2023 |
West Midlands |
14.8% |
54 |
23 February 2023 |
North west |
13.8% |
50 |
19 February 2023 |
Wales |
12.3% |
45 |
13 February 2023 |
Scotland |
12.0% |
44 |
12 February 2023 |
London |
10.0% |
37 |
5 February 2023 |
Northern Ireland |
8.5% |
31 |
31 January 2023 |
NB: The North East, the South West and the West Midlands have a different number of days worked for free, but the same pay day dates. This is because of rounding.
- Women’s pay day by industry, source ONS ASHE, 2022.
Industry |
% gender pay gap |
Number of days |
Women’s Pay Day |
Accommodation and food services |
0.7% |
3 |
2 January 2023 |
Admin and support services |
6.3% |
23 |
22 January 2023 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation |
8.3% |
30 |
30 January 2023 |
Transport and storage |
9.5% |
35 |
3 February 2023 |
Water |
10.9% |
40 |
8 February 2023 |
Public admin |
11.1% |
41 |
9 February 2023 |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
11.0% |
40 |
9 February 2023 |
Wholesale and retail, motor vehicle repair |
13.2% |
48 |
17 February 2023 |
Health and social work |
14.0% |
51 |
20 February 2023 |
Real estate |
14.6% |
53 |
22 February 2023 |
All employees |
14.9% |
54 |
23 February 2023 |
Construction |
15.8% |
58 |
26 February 2023 |
Manufacturing |
16.7% |
61 |
1 March 2023 |
Information and communication |
17.7% |
65 |
5 March 2023 |
Professional, scientific and technical |
19.9% |
73 |
13 March 2023 |
Education |
22.2% |
81 |
22 March 2023 |
Financial and insurance |
31.2% |
114 |
23 April 2023 |
- Amount of time to close the gender pay gap: Since 2011 the gender pay gap has fallen by an average of just 0.4 percentage points a year. At this current rate of progress, it will take 21 years, until 2044, to achieve pay parity between men and women.
- Women’s Pay Day 2022: Last year the gender pay gap for all employees was 15.4% so women’s pay day fell on Friday 25 February 2022.
- Gender pay gap reporting: From 1 April 2017, the government ruled that large companies must 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 TUC’s gender pay gap: Information about the TUC’s pay gaps is available at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/tucs-ethnicity-and-gender-pay-gap-2022
- 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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