In the UK, on average, men earn 14% more than women.
This is the gender pay gap – the difference between men and women’s average earnings – as reported by the Office for National Statistics in 2023.
UK organisations with 250 or more employees are legally obliged to publish their gender pay gap data. This means we can track how seriously employers are taking it and work with them to make our workplaces more equal.
At the current rate of progress, it’ll take over 20 years to close the gap. We won’t wait that long. UNISON represents over one million women, making us the largest women’s organisation in the UK, so we’re leading a nationwide campaign to #BridgeTheGap.
How does the gender pay gap happen?
There isn’t just one reason. The unequal division of caring responsibilities for children and adults is a major driver, with women more likely to work part-time to carry out this unpaid caring work. They’re also more likely to do lower-paid jobs: almost 6 in 10 jobs earning less than the real Living Wage are held by women. Large and predominantly female workforces like those in social care, childcare and early years are ‘chronically underpaid and undervalued’, as the TUC has shown. Discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions play a part too, with men tending to take up the majority of more senior roles.
Isn’t this the same as equal pay?
The gender pay gap should not be confused with equal pay: paying men and women the same for doing the same job has been a legal requirement since the 1970 Equal Pay Act. Unfortunately not all employers comply and there are still many instances of people being paid unequally for equivalent work in the UK. This can contribute to an organisation’s gender pay gap, but they are not the same thing. You can read more about how UNISON leads the way on equal pay here.
How does the public sector stand up?
Find out how your employer stacks up here.
When do employers have to publish their gender pay gap?
By 4 April for the private sector, or 30 March for the public sector.
What can I do?
Watch the presentation and find out how you can take some practical steps to make your workplace more equal.
UNISON has produced a detailed bargaining guide to help activists understand gender pay gap reporting and how to achieve concrete policy changes on pay, recruitment, training, carers’ policies and other areas. Plus a bitesize guide can be ordered from the UNISON Shop to help you have a productive conversation with your employer.
UNISON’s general secretary Christina McAnea explains why this is such an important campaign for UNISON.
