The UK gender pay gap, explained simply
The UK gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly pay of all men and all women across the workforce, shown as a percentage of men’s pay. It is not about men and women being paid differently for the same job. It is a wider picture of who holds which roles, and it is narrowing slowly.
If that distinction feels confusing, you are not alone. The gender pay gap is one of the most talked about and most misunderstood numbers in working life. This guide explains it plainly: what it measures, what the latest UK figures actually say, why the gap exists at all, and how it differs from equal pay. No jargon, no agenda, just the clear version.
What is the gender pay gap?
The gender pay gap in the UK is the difference in average earnings between women and men across a group, whether that is a single employer, an industry, or the whole country. It is usually given as a median figure: line up all the women’s hourly pay and all the men’s, take the middle of each, and compare them. A gap of 10% means the typical woman earns 10% less per hour than the typical man.
The key thing to hold onto is that this is an average across everyone, regardless of their job. It says nothing on its own about whether a particular woman is paid fairly for her particular role. It is a measure of the shape of the workforce, not a measure of one payslip against another.
What do the latest UK figures show?
According to the Office for National Statistics, the median gender pay gap among full-time employees was 6.9% in April 2025, down slightly from 7.1% the year before. Across all employees, full-time and part-time together, the median gap was 12.8%, down from 13.1% in 2024. These are the headline national numbers, and the direction of travel is gently downward.
Two patterns sit underneath that average. The gap is much smaller for younger women and widens sharply with age, opening up most in the years after many women have children. And it is wider when part-time work is included, because part-time roles, which women take up more often, tend to pay less per hour. So the single national figure hides a story that is really about age, caring responsibilities, and the kinds of jobs women end up in.
Why does the gender pay gap exist?
The gap is not mainly about employers paying a woman less than the man at the next desk for identical work. That practice is unlawful and relatively rare. The gap is driven by structural things that are harder to see.
Women are still concentrated in lower-paid sectors and in part-time roles, and under-represented in the senior, higher-paid positions at the top of organisations. Career breaks for caring, which fall more often to women, slow progression and pay growth. And occupations that are mostly done by women, such as care and administration, have historically been paid less than male-dominated ones requiring similar skill. Add those together and you get a pay gap even when no individual is being treated unfairly on a given day.
None of this means the gap is acceptable, and none of it is a reason for resignation. Understanding the causes is what makes them fixable, by employers and by policy.
Gender pay gap versus equal pay
This is the distinction worth getting right, because the two are constantly confused. Equal pay is the legal right, set out in the Equality Act 2010, for women and men to be paid the same for the same work or work of equal value. Paying a woman less than a man for the same job is against the law.
The gender pay gap is different. It can exist even where every person is paid fairly for their role, simply because of how men and women are distributed across jobs and seniority. An organisation can be fully compliant on equal pay and still report a pay gap, usually because it has more men in its senior roles. If you want the detail on how employers measure and report this, our guide to gender pay gap reporting walks through the rules.
What is being done about it
Since 2017, larger UK employers, those with 250 or more staff, have had to publish their gender pay gap figures every year on a government service and their own website. That transparency means anyone can look up how an employer scores and whether its gap is moving in the right direction. Wider change is coming too, with pay transparency rules tightening across Europe, which we cover in our explainer on the EU pay transparency directive.
For women navigating their own careers, the gap is also a signal to use. An employer with a small and shrinking pay gap, women in senior roles, and real flexible working is telling you something about whether you will be paid and promoted fairly there. That is exactly the kind of signal worth weighing when you choose where to work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the gender pay gap in the UK right now?
The median gender pay gap was 6.9% for full-time employees and 12.8% across all employees in April 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. Both figures have edged down over the past year, continuing a slow long-term narrowing.
Is the gender pay gap the same as unequal pay?
No. Unequal pay, paying a woman less than a man for the same work, is unlawful. The gender pay gap is the difference in average pay across all roles, which can exist even when everyone is paid fairly for their own job, because of how men and women are spread across seniority and sectors.
Why does the gender pay gap get bigger with age?
The gap is small for younger women and widens most in the years after many women have children, when career breaks and part-time work slow pay growth and progression. This is why the national figure is shaped heavily by age and caring responsibilities.
How can I check an employer’s gender pay gap?
Employers with 250 or more staff must publish their figures each year on the government’s gender pay gap service and on their own website, so you can search by employer and compare across years before you apply or accept an offer.
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This is educational information, not legal advice. Pay gap rules and your rights at work can depend on your circumstances. For guidance, see the Office for National Statistics gender pay gap data, ACAS, or a qualified adviser.
Last reviewed: June 2026