The gender pay gap forces women to work for free for two months a year, according to an analysis released by the TUC (Trades Union Congress).
The report reveals that women work an average of 63 unpaid days. The gap is currently at 17.3% for all employees. TUC suggests that women in various sectors will need to wait significantly longer for their “women’s pay day.”
“Our economy is stacked against working women. At this rate, it will take another 50 years to close the gender pay gap,” said Frances O’Grady, TUC’s general secretary. “No more excuses: the government must get on and sort the gender pay gap now.”
The TUC analysis of the Office for National Statistics’ annual survey for hours and earnings states that the average woman in education works for free for more than a quarter of the year or 93 days before she gets paid on 2 April.
The gender pay gap in the education sector is at 25.4%, and education roles are dominated by women. Meanwhile, the average woman in the professional, scientific and technical fields waits 88 days with her pay day happening on 28 March 2020.
The widest gap, however, is in finance and insurance. The pay hits 3 May 2020, and hence, female employees wait for more than a third of the year.
In terms of regional differences, the largest pay gap is identified in the south-east, where a 20.5% gap leads to women only being paid from 15 March onwards. The smallest gender pay gap was known in Northern Ireland (10.1%), Scotland (14.3%) and Wales (14.5%).
The TUC calls on the government to force companies to perform equal pay audits, develop action plans to close the pay gap in their workplace, and penalize companies that do not completely comply with the law.
