The amount women are earning compared to men has shrunk to 9.4%, according to statistics released today, but overall there has been little progress made in the last four years.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released its Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, which showed that the figure was down from 9.6% in 2014 and at its lowest level since records began.
The ONS said, “This is the lowest since the survey began in1997, although the gap has changed relatively little in recent years.”
The survey also showed that when taking both full and part-time workers, men are paid more on average than women apart from in the 16 to 17 age group. Men working full-time also earned more than women – £567 per week compared to £471 per week).
Nicky Morgan, Minister for Women and Equalities said, “We have been clear that you can’t have true opportunity without equality and that’s why eliminating the gender pay gap is a key priority for this government.”
She continued, “These figures confirm the need for us to drive forward change.”
The statistics come just days after Equal Pay Day on 9th November, in which campaigners claimed women would work for free for the rest of the year. The leader of the Women’s Equality Party, Sophie Walker said on the day that to close the gender pay gap, ‘it’s time to take a more integrated approach to ensure we don’t have to keep marking this “depressing day” every year.”
You can download a copy of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings report here.
