Gender Pay Gap: Why Women Are Still Working for Free

New analysis from the Trades Union Congress highlights the continuing scale of inequality in the workplace. According to its latest findings, women in the UK effectively work for free for the first 47 days of the year compared with men. On average, this amounts to a loss of more than £2,548 a year.

This means that, while men are paid from the start of the year, many women only begin earning the equivalent of a full salary from mid February. Despite years of discussion and policy commitments, the gender pay gap remains firmly in place.

The Scale of the Problem

The TUC analysis shows that the gender pay gap currently stands at 12.8 per cent. At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2056 to close this gap.

This is not a marginal issue affecting a small group of workers. It is a widespread structural problem that cuts across industries, ages, and job roles. Women’s lower average earnings reflect long standing inequalities in access to opportunities, progression, and fair pay.

Pay Gaps Across Industries

The pay gap exists across the economy, including in sectors where women make up the majority of the workforce.

In health and social care, the gap stands at 12.8 per cent, meaning women effectively work 47 days unpaid. In education, the gap rises to 17 per cent, equivalent to 62 days of unpaid work. In wholesale and retail, women earn 10.5 per cent less, amounting to 38 unpaid days.

The widest gap is found in finance and insurance, where women earn 27.2 per cent less than men. In this sector, women effectively work without pay for 99 days and only begin earning in early April.

These figures demonstrate that female dominated sectors are not protected from inequality. In many cases, they are among the most affected.

How the Pay Gap Changes with Age

The gender pay gap affects women throughout their working lives, from their first job to retirement. However, it becomes more pronounced in later years.

Women aged 40 to 49 face a gap of 16.2 per cent, working the equivalent of 59 days for free. Those aged 50 to 59 experience the highest gap at 19.7 per cent, or 72 unpaid days. Women aged 60 and over still face a gap of 17.7 per cent.

These patterns reflect the cumulative impact of career breaks, reduced hours, and missed opportunities for progression. Many women step back from full time work to care for children, elderly relatives, or grandchildren. This unpaid labour is essential to society, yet it continues to be financially penalised.

Why the Gap Persists

The TUC identifies several key factors driving the pay gap:

• Women are more likely to work part time due to caring responsibilities, which often comes with lower hourly pay and fewer progression opportunities.
• Access to affordable childcare and social care remains limited.
• Flexible and high quality jobs are still too scarce.
• Women are underrepresented in senior and higher paid roles.

Together, these issues create a system in which women’s work is consistently undervalued.

The Need for Stronger Action

The TUC has welcomed proposals under the Employment Rights Act that would require employers to publish action plans to tackle gender pay gaps. However, it argues that these plans must be ambitious, transparent, and enforceable if they are to make a real difference.

These measures are also expected to form the basis for future ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting. Getting the framework right now is therefore essential.

The TUC is also calling for improvements to parental leave. Greater access to paid leave for both parents would allow families to share caring responsibilities more equally, reducing the long term impact on women’s careers.

Better childcare provision and stronger rights to flexible working are also central to any meaningful solution.

Voices from the TUC

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak described the situation in stark terms:

“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.

“The Employment Rights Act is an important step forward for pay parity for women. It will ban exploitative zero hours contracts, which disproportionately hit women and their pay packets. And it will make employers publish action plans for tackling their gender gaps, but these plans must be tough, ambitious, and built to deliver real change.

“Let’s be clear. The government needs to turbo charge its approach, or women will continue to lose out.”

A Call for Fairness

The gender pay gap is not inevitable. It is the result of policy choices, workplace practices, and social attitudes that can be changed.

Closing the gap requires coordinated action from government, employers, and society as a whole. It means valuing care, investing in childcare, supporting flexible working, and holding organisations to account for unequal pay.

The latest TUC findings are a reminder that progress cannot be taken for granted. Real change demands commitment, courage, and sustained action.

Click here to read more about the TUC Analysis