Moves to close the gender pay gap will not be successful until 2056 if progress remains at its current rate, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The union federation highlighted that women in the UK earn on average 12.8% less than men, equivalent to £2,548 a year.
Analysis of official pay data shows the gap is widest in the finance and insurance sector at 27.2%, while the leisure service industry records the smallest difference at 1.5%. Even in female-dominated fields such as education and health and social care, pay disparities remain high, at 17% and 12.8% respectively.
The gender pay gap measures the difference in salaries paid to men and women within the same industries. Employers in the UK with more than 250 staff are required to publish pay data. The TUC noted that these disparities mean the average woman effectively works for 47 days each year without pay compared to male colleagues.
“Women have effectively been working for free for the first month and a half of the year compared to men,” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said. He stressed that the ongoing cost-of-living pressures make this inequity even more pressing, adding, “They deserve their fair share.”
Nowak acknowledged recent changes under the Employment Rights Act as a step toward pay parity but called for broader reforms. He urged the government to improve access to paid parental leave so that “mums and dads can better share care,” and emphasised the need for flexible working and affordable childcare.
The TUC also pointed to age as a factor in the pay gap, noting that women aged 50-59 experience the largest disparities. The organisation attributes this in part to long-term effects of women pausing or reducing their careers to take on caring responsibilities.
Business groups have warned that expanding benefits and leave provisions could increase costs for employers and discourage hiring. Matthew Percival, director for the Future of Work and Skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said, “The cost of doing business is already leading to firms cutting jobs. With major changes to employment laws coming down the line, the government must be extra careful not to add to those pressures.”
Employers will soon be required to publish plans outlining how they intend to reduce the gender pay gap. A government spokesperson highlighted ongoing measures, saying, “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.”
The TUC’s warnings underline the scale of the challenge, suggesting that without accelerated efforts, progress toward pay equality remains decades away.
