This is the first time the date has been this early since 2013, according to the Fawcett Society – the charity that founded the Equal Pay Day campaign.
The mean average measure used by the gender equality charity differs from the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS’) use of the median average, which showed the gender pay gap narrowing to 7%.
On average, women earn £631 less every month than men, which is a difference of £7,572 per year, according to the Fawcett Society’s data. So, women will continue to work from 20 November throughout the year without getting paid.
Using a mean average, men working at least 30 hours per week earn 11.3% more than women in the UK, which is a rise from 10.4% in 2023. However, this jumps up to 13.8% when all employee hours are taken into account.
This differs from the ONS median average, which the charity said doesn’t consider the full impact of the pay at either end of the scale.
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The median gender pay gap stands at 7% for full-time workers and 13.1% for all workers.
While the gap in employees’ earnings has slightly narrowed from 14.2% in April 2023, the rate of change was described by Paul Nowak, the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC’s) general secretary, as closing “at a snail’s pace”.
The reason for the gap persisting is due to women being more likely to take on part-time, low-paid or less secure work as they balance care commitments for their children.
There has been a lack of accessibility to affordable childcare for many women too, so they are often forced to pause or leave their careers, which has been described as a ‘motherhood penalty’ by the charity.
‘Incredibly alarming’
Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “Equal Pay Day 2024 marks another painful reminder that gender pay inequality is not only persistent but risks deepening.”
Olchawski added: “We welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to closing the gender pay gap, these statistics make it clearer than ever that reaching that goal will require significant shifts in the approach to achieving equality.
“To truly achieve equality, we need a comprehensive, cross-departmental strategy that tackles the root causes of the gap, including the undervaluing of women’s work, a lack of affordable childcare, and the systemic barriers that prevent women, particularly mothers, from reaching their full potential in the workforce.
“If we are to see meaningful change, flexible work must be the default across all sectors, and discrimination in pay must be eradicated. The gender pay gap is not just an issue for women – it’s an issue for our entire economy. Until we address the inequalities that women face every day, we risk seeing this gap grow.”
In some cases, there is still a disparity between what men and women take home each month even when working the same roles and hours.
Fawcett Society noted this is due to discrimination in pay because of the backgrounds of those who earned less for doing the same job.
Its study revealed women of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and mixed white and black Caribbean backgrounds had a much higher gap in earnings than white employees, taking home 28%, 26% and 25% less than men.
The disabled women who are paid less also contribute to two-thirds of the gender pay gap, which is unexplained, the study reported.
‘Closing the gap needs more than individual efforts’
Harriet Harman, chair of the Fawcett Society, said: It’s clear that closing the gender pay gap will require more than just individual efforts; it requires systemic change, and the Government must focus on developing a comprehensive, cross-departmental strategy.
“By making flexible work the default and ensuring that women have access to the same opportunities as men, we can ensure fairness and that families are better off.”
Harman added: “However, there’s still much more to be done. We need to ensure that these policies are implemented effectively and that they address the needs of the most disadvantaged women, including those facing multiple barriers.
“The Government’s efforts are a step in the right direction, and we must continue to push for the urgent action needed to close the gender pay gap once and for all.”
