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Equal Pay Day 2021

The Fawcett Society recently reported that the Gender Pay Gap has increased from 10.6% in 2020, to 11.9% this year.

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Published 19 November 2021

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18 November 2021 is Equal Pay Day. For the rest of this year (some 44 days) women are effectively working for free because of the Gender Pay Gap.

The Fawcett Society recently reported that the Gender Pay Gap has increased from 10.6% in 2020, to 11.9% this year.

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on women in many ways, not least on wages. Earlier this year the Women and Equalities Committee reported that “women were a third more likely to be employed in sectors that were “shut down” over the first national lockdown, and thus particularly at risk of job loss”. On average more women were furloughed than men.

Given the current boom in the UK jobs market there is hope this will lead to upwards pressure on wages generally, but especially in those sectors which were shut down during the pandemic. This will hopefully lead to an increase in women’s wages and a narrowing of the Gender Pay Gap.

Other means of closing the Gender Pay Gap include alleviating the disproportionate burden of care responsibilities that women carry on average, including through flexible or hybrid working.  

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Shorter Reads

Equal Pay Day 2021

The Fawcett Society recently reported that the Gender Pay Gap has increased from 10.6% in 2020, to 11.9% this year.

Published 19 November 2021

Associated sectors / services

  • Employment law for employers
  • Employment law for employees

Authors

18 November 2021 is Equal Pay Day. For the rest of this year (some 44 days) women are effectively working for free because of the Gender Pay Gap.

The Fawcett Society recently reported that the Gender Pay Gap has increased from 10.6% in 2020, to 11.9% this year.

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on women in many ways, not least on wages. Earlier this year the Women and Equalities Committee reported that “women were a third more likely to be employed in sectors that were “shut down” over the first national lockdown, and thus particularly at risk of job loss”. On average more women were furloughed than men.

Given the current boom in the UK jobs market there is hope this will lead to upwards pressure on wages generally, but especially in those sectors which were shut down during the pandemic. This will hopefully lead to an increase in women’s wages and a narrowing of the Gender Pay Gap.

Other means of closing the Gender Pay Gap include alleviating the disproportionate burden of care responsibilities that women carry on average, including through flexible or hybrid working.  

Associated sectors / services

  • Employment law for employers
  • Employment law for employees

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