UNIONS revealed today that women have worked for free this year up until the weekend and called on the government to act.

New TUC analysis reveals the earnings gulf between women and men leaves women making over £2,548 a year less than men on average: it means that women effectively only started earning yesterday after working for a month and a half for free.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “The government needs to turbocharge its approach or women will continue to lose out.

“Women have effectively been working for free for the first month and a half of the year compared to men.

“Imagine turning up to work every single day and not getting paid. That’s the reality of the gender pay gap. In 2026 that should be unthinkable.

“With the cost of living still biting hard, women simply can’t afford to keep losing out. They deserve their fair share.”

The TUC general secretary said that, despite its limitations, the Labour government’s Employment Rights Act is an important step forward for pay parity for women, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, which disproportionately hit women.  

“And it will make employers publish action plans for tackling their gender gaps – but these plans must be tough, ambitious and built to deliver real change – otherwise they won’t work,” Mr Nowak said.

The pay gap spans the economy, including female-dominated sectors such as health and social care and education.

The longest wait for Women’s Pay Day comes in finance and insurance, where the gender pay gap of 27.2 per cent is the equivalent of 99 days, meaning women work for free until April 9.

The gender pay gap affects women throughout their careers, from their first step on the ladder until they take retirement.

The pay gap for women aged 40 to 49 is 16.2 per cent, so they work 59 days for free until February 28; women aged between 50 and 59 have the highest pay gap of 19.7 per cent and work the equivalent of 72 days for free, until March 13;  women aged 60 and over have a gender pay gap of 17.7 per cent and work 65 days of the year for free and start earning from March 7.