It will take 30 years – until 2056 – to close the gender pay gap, new analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) finds.
For the first 47 days of the year, the average woman effectively works for free, only starting to earn from 15 February 2026.
With the gender pay gap currently standing at 12.8%, the analysis reveals that men earn £2,548 more a year, on average, than women.
The union body urges the government to create ‘ambitious and robust action plans’ to close the gap and enable women to access fair pay.
“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,” said TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak.
“With the cost of living still biting hard, women simply can’t afford to keep losing out. They deserve their fair share.”
What is causing the UK’s gender pay gap? A key factor cited by the union body is that more women work part-time while managing care responsibilities, therefore receiving less pay. To address this, there needs to be better access to affordable childcare, more opportunities for shared caring duties between men and women, and greater workplace flexibility.
Gender pay gap by industry
While the gender pay gap persists across many different industries, some women will fare better than others, depending on the sector they work in.
The pay gap is 27.2% for those working in finance and insurance, which means the average woman in these industries has to wait over four months – until 9 April 2026 – before they start getting paid. This disparity is likely due to women in these industries struggling to secure senior leadership roles – hitting the ‘glass ceiling’ – because of systemic barriers such as long hours and inflexible work cultures.
In education, the pay gap is 17% (or 62 days working without pay), while health care and social work see a 12.8% earning gap, and wholesale and retail a 10.5% gap.
Gender pay gap by age
The TUC’s analysis, calculated using data from the Office for National Statistics, shows that the gender pay gap impacts women across all age groups. However, middle-aged and older women experience the biggest earning disparities. This is due to the unpaid caring responsibilities they are more likely than men to take on to look after their children, grandchildren, and older relatives.
Women aged 50–59 see the highest pay gap of 19.7%, meaning they essentially work for free for 72 days, until 13 March 2026. The wage gap for women aged 60+ is second highest at 17.7%, closely followed by 40–49 year olds at 16.2%.
How to close the gender pay gap
Nowak sees the Employment Rights Act as “an important step forward” for fair pay for women. “It will ban exploitative zero hours contracts, which disproportionately hit women and their pay packets.”
The Act will also require UK employers with 250+ employees to annually publish gender pay gap data by 4 April (private sector) or 31 March (public sector). Additionally, from 2027, gender equality action plans detailing how organisations will address pay gaps will be mandatory.
A bold approach from employers will be essential, Nowak comments: “These plans must be tough, ambitious, and built to deliver real change – otherwise they won’t work.”
Parental leave also needs reform. The TUC says that the government’s current review – running until the end of 2026 – must deliver improved paid parental leave to help dads share the load of childcare.
“Let’s be clear – the government needs to turbo-charge its approach, or women will continue to lose out,” Nowak concludes.
