The gender pay gap will take 30 years to close, report says
The gender pay gap will take another three decades to close if the current rate of progress is maintained, a new report has found.
Despite efforts to speed up the rate of achieving equal pay, it will not be achieved until 2056 unless more is done, according to analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The union organisation said that gender pay gap stands at 12.8 per cent, the equivalent of £2,548 a year for the average woman worker.
This means women effectively work 47 days a year for free and only start earning from today, compared to the average man.
The union credited a number of factors for driving the pay gap, including women having to work part-time to accommodate for extended caring responsibilities throughout their lives, including children and elderly relatives.
This ultimately leaves women taking a significant pay cut as they step away from full time duties.
Pay gap across industries
The report found that the pay gap persists across a range of industries, including those which are dominated by female workers, such as education and care.
In the heath and social care sector, the earning gap stands at 12.8 per cent, while in education it stands at 17 per cent.
Meanwhile, women working in wholesale and retail suffer a 10.8 per cent pay gap.
Meanwhile, middle-aged and older women are dealing with the largest pay gap, with those aged 40 to 49 having a gap of 16.2 per cent.
Women aged 50 and 59 have the highest gap, standing at 19.7 per cent, while those over 60 and over have a divide of 17.7 per cent.
The TUC credited the large hit taken by older women, due to the expectations that they balance work alongside caring responsibilities throughout their lives, coupled with limited childcare and minimal flexible jobs.
Urging the government to do more
The TUC has called to “turbo-charge its approach” if it wants to meet its ambition to close the pay gap, including more opportunities for men and women to share caring responsibilities.
It also called for improved access to flexible working, alongside better access to childcare, in order to create a well rounded solution.
Trades Union Congress General Secretary, Paul Nowak, said: “Women have effectively been working for free for the first month and a half of the year compared to men.
“Imagine turning up to work every single day and not getting paid. That’s the reality of the gender pay gap. In 2026 that should be unthinkable.
“With the cost of living still biting hard women simply can’t afford to keep losing out. They deserve their fair share.”
Nowak also acknowledged the Employments Rights Act is an “important step forward”, due to it banning “exploitative zero hour contracts”, which he argued “disproportionately hit women and their pay packets”.
He warned that a failure to deliver tough plans that build real change will see “women continue to lose out”.
A Government spokesperson said: “Women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand. Through the Employment Rights Act 2025, we are taking the first steps towards requiring employers to publish action plans alongside their pay gap figures, setting out how they will close those gaps and better harness the skills of women in their workforce.
“Combined with changes to flexible working, stronger protections for expectant and new mothers, and wider action to review parental leave and to expand childcare entitlements, we are tackling the root causes of the gender pay gap and backing women to succeed at work.”