The so-called equal pay generation of female workers born near the passing of the 1970 Equal Pay Act are unlikely to see the gap close during their working lives, a Labour analysis has shown.
Research carried out for Anneliese Dodds, the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, calculated that such is the slow rate of change with equal pay for women in their 50s, the gender pay gap will not close before 2050 at the current trajectory.
Labour argues that this amounts to an effective abandonment of a whole generation of working women.
Data from the Office for National Statistics’ annual survey of hours and earnings shows that the gender pay gaps is highest for women aged 50 to 59, at 11.7% for full-time workers. This is nearly four times as high as for women in their 30s.
Labour said its calculations showed the gap for this age group had closed by only 5.1 percentage points since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power, meaning that at the current rate of change, the pay gap for this bracket would not be eliminated for another 27 years.
Dodds said: “The equal pay generation have been abandoned by the Conservatives, thanks to 13 years of inaction and economic stagnation.
“Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s deserve so much better than this. How can it be right for these women – the heroines taking kids or grandkids to school, caring for elderly parents and navigating a career sometimes also while experiencing menopausal symptoms – to be left behind, condemned to decades of disproportionately low pay?
“We want to see women thrive in this period of their life, not simply survive. Labour will take action to finally close the pernicious gender pay gap once and for all.”
A parallel Labour analysis has shown that among the workforce of women aged 50 to 64, 185,000 more have become economically inactive since the start of Covid, while real wages for women in their 40s and 50s have fallen by £1,000 a year since 2010.
Labour has pledged to support women in the 40s and older remaining in work with policies such as a requirement for large employers to put in place menopause action plans, that set out how they are supporting their employees experiencing menopausal symptoms.
This could include paid time off as needed and working environments with temperature-controlled areas.
About one in 10 women aged 45-55 left their jobs last year because of their symptoms and a lack of workplace support, according to Labour research supported by the Fawcett Society, released in February.
The party has also promised to launch a formal review into the gender pay gap, led by Frances O’Grady, the former head of the TUC.
Announced in March, O’Grady’s review will be published later this year and will be used by Labour to develop further policies to support working parents, help employers eradicate unequal pay and review the parental leave system.
A government spokesperson said ministers had “taken significant action to support women at work”, including new measures on childcare, and allowing people to seek flexible working. They added: “We strongly urge organisations to take steps to ensure female employees reach their full potential.”
