C
Clarity News Hub

What causes the gender pay gap UK?

Author

Noah Mitchell

Published Jan 15, 2026

The gender pay gap is higher for all employees than it is for full-time employees or part-time employees. This is because women fill more part-time jobs, which in comparison with full-time jobs have lower hourly median pay.

What are the reasons for the gender pay gap UK?

There are three main causes of the gender pay gap.

  • Occupational segregation. ...
  • Lack of flexible working. ...
  • Discrimination in pay and grading systems. ...
  • Women's experiences vary.

What are the main causes of gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is the result of many factors, including race and ethnicity, disability, access to education and age. As a result, different groups of women experience very different gaps in pay.

Why do females get paid less than males?

Differences in pay are caused by occupational segregation (with more men in higher paid industries and women in lower paid industries), vertical segregation (fewer women in senior, and hence better paying positions), ineffective equal pay legislation, women's overall paid working hours, and barriers to entry into the ...

When did the gender pay gap start UK?

The Gender Pay Gap Regulations, otherwise known as the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 came into force in the UK in April 2017.

25 related questions found

Is there equal pay in the UK?

It has been part of UK law since the 1970 Equal Pay Act, and is now also part of the Equality Act 2010. It means all employees are entitled to equal pay, regardless of whether they are on full-time, part-time, or temporary contracts.

Who passed the Equal Pay Act UK?

The Equal Pay Act 1970 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that prohibited any less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. The Act was proposed by the then Labour government, and was based on the Equal Pay Act of 1963 of the United States.

How do we fix the gender pay gap?

Strategies for narrowing the gender pay gap

  1. Raise the minimum wage. ...
  2. Increase pay transparency. ...
  3. Unionize workplaces. ...
  4. Implement fair scheduling practices. ...
  5. Expand paid family and medical leave. ...
  6. Increase access to child care. ...
  7. Stop basing employee pay on salary history. ...
  8. Improve work-life balance.

When did the gender wage gap start?

Though the gender wage gap probably dates to the beginnings of civilization, it emerged as a political issue in the United States in the 1860s under the rallying cry of “Equal Pay for Equal Work.”

How is the gender pay gap calculated?

The gender pay gap figure is typically calculated by first adding together all of the annual salaries of women who are working full-time, year-round, then finding the median salary — that is, the salary that's in the exact middle, with 50 percent of the women earning more than that figure and 50 percent earning less.

Why do males get paid more than females in sport?

Men's sports receive vastly more media coverage, television licenses, and sponsorship deals, which contribute to higher revenue. Men's sports generate higher revenue, so male athletes are paid higher salaries.

Which of the following is in part a contributor to the gender pay gap?

The report found that: Gender discrimination continues to be the biggest contributing factor to the pay gap, accounting for almost two-fifths (39%) of the gender pay gap. The combined impact of years not working due to interruptions, part-time employment and unpaid work contributed to 39% of the gender pay gap.

How can we reduce gender pay gap UK?

Effective actions

  1. Include multiple women in shortlists for recruitment and promotions. ...
  2. Use skill-based assessment tasks in recruitment. ...
  3. Use structured interviews for recruitment and promotions. ...
  4. Encourage salary negotiation by showing salary ranges. ...
  5. Introduce transparency to promotion, pay and reward processes.

How is the gender pay gap calculated UK?

The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between average hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women as a proportion of average hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men's earnings.

How was the pay gap created?

Because of the large number of American women taking jobs in the war industries during World War II, the National War Labor Board urged employers in 1942 to voluntarily make "adjustments which equalize wage or salary rates paid to females with the rates paid to males for comparable quality and quantity of work on the ...

When did the wage gap become an issue?

Differences in labor market experience between men and women are far greater than differences in their educational attainment. But in the 1980s, the difference between men and women workers in average labor market experience began to fall.

What would happen if there were no minimum wage?

Without minimum wage laws, items would be cheaper in stores as business owners are able to provide items at a lower cost since they do not have as much invested into each item. However, this would have to be necessary since people would not be making as much.

Why should we stop the gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap does not just impact a woman once in her life. It has a compounding effect that results in a woman's reduced earning capacity over her lifetime. On average, women are less likely to progress as far as men in their career and accumulate less money for retirement.

Why is closing the gender pay gap important?

Closing the gender pay gap will benefit women, and may also bolster business performance, strengthening the global economy (Noland, Moran, and Kotschwar, 2016). Women's lower earnings perpetuate gender inequality, decreasing their independence and bargaining power (Wodon and De le Briere, 2018).

How do you deal with unfair pay at work?

In order to report unfair wages, an employee must first file a complaint with a state or federal government agency that oversees unfair wage matters, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The agency that receives the complaint will then review the claim and open an investigation.

Is it illegal to pay a woman less than a man UK?

This year marks 50 years since the Equal Pay Act received royal assent in the UK, meaning employers were prohibited from paying women less than men for the same job. Although unequal pay is now illegal, the gender pay gap – the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings for men and women – persists.

What is the reason for Equal Pay Act?

Why equal pay is important

It is important to provide equal pay in order to comply with the law by identifying, explaining and eliminating unjustifiable pay gaps, and to and to contribute to a fairer society in which everyone has equal opportunities. If you do not act lawfully, you are at risk of: Expensive legal fees.

Can 2 employees doing the same job be paid differently?

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. Job content (not job titles) determines whether jobs are substantially equal.

Can 2 employees doing the same job be paid differently UK?

You are entitled to the same pay as anyone doing the same or broadly similar job, or a job of equal value, regardless of gender. There are strict time limits on when you can lodge a claim. If your employer is not treating you equally, they are breaking the law.