Gender pay gap won’t close until 2056 at current rate, TUC warns

The gender pay gap in the UK will not close for another thirty years if progress continues at its current rate, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Analysis of official earnings data by the trade unions shows that the average difference between men’s and women’s pay stands at 12.8%, which equates to £2,548 a year. At that rate of development, the gap will not be closed until 2056, the TUC says.

The gap varies greatly by sector. In finance and insurance it is more extensive as it reaches 27.2%, while in leisure it is 1.5%. Even in sectors dominated by women 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 in organizations and industries. Companies with more than 250 UK employees are required by law to publish gender pay data.

The TUC said the inequality meant the average woman “effectively works 47 days of the year for free” compared to her male counterpart.

“Women were 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 can’t afford to keep losing.”

The pay gap is largest among workers aged 50 to 59, a trend the TUC says is partly the long-term result of women pausing or postponing their careers to take on caring responsibilities.

The union coalition is calling for improved access to flexible working, expanded childcare provision and stronger parental leave policies to help close the gap. Nwak described the government’s recent Employment Rights Act as “an important step forward”, but said more was needed to enable parents to better share caregiving duties.

Business groups have previously warned that increased employment rights and benefits could increase costs for employers. Matthew Percival, director of the future of work and skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said firms were already under enormous pressure.

“The cost of doing business leads to fewer jobs,” he said. “As there are major changes in employment laws, the government must be careful not to add more pressure.”

Under the new rules, employers will have to publish action plans setting out how they intend to reduce their gender pay gap.

A government spokesman said ministers were “tackling the root causes of the gender pay gap” with measures including expanding childcare rights, stronger protections for new mothers and changes to flexible working rights.

Despite increasing progress in recent years, the latest figures suggest that without rapid reforms and structural change, wage equality remains a distant prospect.