New analysis from the TUC has found that women in the UK effectively work the first 47 days of the year unpaid compared to men, due to the persistent gender pay gap.
According to the union body, the current gender pay gap stands at 12.8%, equating to an average shortfall of £2,548 per year for women. Based on current rates of progress, the TUC estimates it could take until 2056 to close the gap entirely.
For senior HR professionals, the findings underline the continued importance of pay transparency, workforce planning and robust action plans, particularly as regulatory scrutiny increases.
The TUC’s analysis highlights that the earnings gap spans the economy, including female-dominated sectors. In health and social care, the pay gap is 12.8%, while in education it rises to 17%, meaning women in the sector effectively work the equivalent of 62 days unpaid. In wholesale and retail, the gap stands at 10.5%.
The widest disparity is reported in finance and insurance, where the pay gap is 27.2%, equivalent to 99 unpaid days.
The data also shows the pay gap widens over time. Women aged 40–49 face a gap of 16.2%, rising to 19.7% for those aged 50–59. Women aged 60 and over experience a 17.7% gap.
The TUC attributes this widening disparity to unpaid caring responsibilities, limited childcare and social care provision, and the scarcity of quality flexible roles – factors that disproportionately affect women across their careers.
The TUC has welcomed government plans under the Employment Rights Act to require employers to publish gender pay gap action plans, but says these must be “ambitious and robust” to drive meaningful change.
It argues that action plans should address structural drivers of inequality, including access to flexible working, shared parental leave and affordable childcare. The union body also notes that the approach taken on gender pay gap reporting will likely inform future ethnicity and disability pay gap frameworks.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said the findings demonstrate that women are still “effectively working for free” for part of the year, adding that government and employers must accelerate progress to achieve pay parity.
Photo by Andreea Avramescu on Unsplash
