The Different Ways Women Face Discrimination at Work

To mark this year’s Mother’s Day, the TUC has highlighted that although women now make up half (49.7%) of the workforce, they still encounter far too many problems at work. 

Some of the most common ways that women are unfairly treated at work include:

• The gender pay gap: The current gender pay gap means that on average women get paid 18.4% less than men. The TUC has calculated this pay gap means that women effectively work for free for more than two months (67 days) of the year.
• Pregnancy discrimination: The EHRC found that 59% of employers believe job applicants should have to disclose whether they are pregnant. And almost half (46%) of bosses agree it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children during the recruitment process – despite this practice being against the law.
• The motherhood pay penalty: For women who become mothers, the gender pay gap gets worse. Those who have children before the age of 33 earn 15% less than similar women who haven’t had children.
• The cost of childcare: TUC research found the cost of childcare has gone up four times faster than wages since 2008. In England the average wages of those with a one-year-old child rose by 12% in cash terms – although pay is still falling in real terms – between 2008 and 2016. However, over the same period, childcare costs shot up by 48%.
• Pension pot: Because of low pay, 3.4 million women workers are excluded from workplace pensions. The TUC found women make up three quarters of those earning less than the £10,000 earnings trigger to be automatically enrolled into a pension.

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