The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and women in the UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing official statistics on the gender pay gap in the UK. According to the ONS, the gender pay gap among full-time employees in April 2022 was 8.3% . This means that women earn, on average, 8.3% less than men per hour worked. The gender pay gap has been declining slowly over time. Over the last decade, it has fallen by approximately a quarter among both full-time employees and all employees .
It’s important to note that the gender pay gap is not a measure of equal pay for equal work. Equal pay for equal work has been a legal requirement in the UK since 1970 . The gender pay gap is a measure of the difference in average hourly earnings between men and women across all jobs in the UK .
The ONS publishes data on differences in pay between women and men by age, region, full-time and part-time, and occupation . The gender pay gap varies significantly by occupation. For example, the managers, directors, and senior officials’ occupation group has experienced the largest fall in gender pay gap since the pre-coronavirus pandemic April 2019 figure .