TUC: Women Effectively ‘Working For Free’ Until Late February as Gender Pay Gap stalls

The average woman is effectively working for 47 days of the year for free compared with the average man, according to new analysis by the TUC, as the UK’s union body warned that progress on closing the gender pay gap remains painfully slow.

The analysis shows the gender pay gap currently stands at 12.8%, the equivalent of £2,548 a year for the average woman worker. At the current rate of change, it will take another 30 years – until 2056 – to close the gap. That means that women only start “earning” for the year from today compared with men, having effectively worked without pay for the first month and a half of 2026.

The TUC said a number of factors continue to drive the disparity, including women working part-time to accommodate extended caring responsibilities throughout their lives, often taking a significant pay cut as a result. The union body warned that ministers must go further if they are serious about meeting their ambition to eliminate the pay gap. It called for more opportunities for men and women to share care, improved access to flexible working and better access to childcare as central planks of any credible strategy.

PAY GAP ACROSS SECTORS

The pay gap persists across industries, including those dominated by female workers.In health care and social work, the earnings gap is 12.8%, meaning the average woman effectively works for free for 47 days. In education, the gap is 17%, equivalent to 62 unpaid days. In wholesale and retail, the gap is 10.5%, meaning 38 days worked for free.

The longest wait for Women’s Pay Day comes in finance and insurance, where the gender pay gap stands at 27.2%. That equates to 99 days, meaning women in the sector work for free until 9 April 2026.

GENDER PAY GAP WIDENS WITH AGE

The TUC’s analysis shows the gap affects women throughout their careers, from their first job to retirement, and is widest among middle-aged and older women. Women aged 40 to 49 face a gender pay gap of 16.2%, working 59 days for free until 28 February 2026. Among women aged between 50 and 59, the pay gap rises to 19.7% – the highest of any age group – meaning they work the equivalent of 72 days unpaid, until 13 March 2026.

Women aged 60 and over have a gender pay gap of 17.7%. They work 65 days of the year for free and start earning from 7 March 2025. The TUC said the gap widens as women get older because they are more likely than men to take on unpaid caring responsibilities throughout their lives, compounded by limited childcare and social care provision and too few good-quality flexible jobs.

These findings back other studies that confirm many women describe their fifties the ‘most challenging’ decade at work because of menopause stigma and lack of support. Older women in particular take a significant financial hit from balancing paid work alongside unpaid care, often looking after children, older relatives and grandchildren. In fact, past surveys, show that the majority of women on both sides of the Atlantic, are battling both ageism and menopause stigma at work, according to recent reports.

CALLS FOR TOUGHER ACTION ON GENDER PAY GAP

The union body said government plans under the Employment Rights Act to require employers to publish action plans to tackle their gender pay gaps were welcome, but must be “more ambitious and robust” to deliver real change. It added that the framework would serve as a blueprint for forthcoming ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, which ministers have pledged to introduce, stressing the importance of getting the approach right from the outset.

The TUC also called on the government to ensure its parental leave review delivers increased access to paid parental leave so that mothers and fathers can better share caring responsibilities. “Women have effectively been working for free for the first month and a half of the year compared to men,” noted Paul Nowak, the TUC General Secretary. “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,” adds Nowak. “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,otherwise they won’t work. Let’s be clear – the government needs to turbo-charge its approach, or women will continue to lose out.”

FIXING THE GENDER PAY GAP: A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

The UK figures reflect a wider global picture. As of early 2026, UN Women reports that women globally earn approximately 77–80% of what men earn, with the gender pay gap remaining a persistent feature of labour markets worldwide. Women face a roughly 20% pay gap globally, and in many regions are effectively working for free for more than 45 days a year compared with men.

UN Women estimates that at current rates it will take roughly 300 years to close the global economic gender gap. Women hold only 64% of the legal rights enjoyed by men worldwide, with significant barriers remaining in workplace equality and pay. If progress continues at its present pace, it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps.

International Women’s Day 2026, on 8 March, under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, will focus on dismantling structural barriers to equal justice, including discriminatory laws and weak legal protections. As the TUC’s analysis makes clear, without faster action on pay, care and workplace rights, equal pay will remain a distant prospect, not just in the UK but around the world.

PRACTICAL STEPS FOR EMPLOYERS

While legislative reform and international pressure are vital, employers can take concrete action now. Immediate steps include conducting regular, transparent pay audits; reviewing starting salaries and promotion criteria; ensuring flexible working is available at all levels; and training managers to identify and challenge bias in performance reviews and progression decisions.

Organisations can also:

• Analyse pay and progression data by age as well as gender, given the widening gap for women over 40.
• Strengthen return-to-work pathways for women after maternity leave or extended caring breaks.
• Encourage and normalise shared parental leave uptake among fathers.
• Link senior leadership bonuses to measurable progress on pay equity.

Taken together, experts say, transparent reporting, accountable leadership and practical workplace reforms are essential if the headline figures are to shift before 2056.

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