Gender pay gap costs British women £138bn each year
Women in Britain are being short-changed by £138bn per year when their earnings are compared to those of their male counterparts, according to data compiled by the Young Women's Trust.
On average, men working full-time were earning £39,003 a year, compared to women's average wage of £29,891.
Young Women's Trust chief executive Dr Carole Easton, said, "We may have an equal vote but women are still fighting for equal pay. Young women are more likely to be on low pay and many are resorting to food banks or falling into debt."
Official statistics revealed that while the pay gap varied from region to region, the 15m women working full-time in the UK earned a total of £138bn less each year, with the gap widening further when taking part-time work into consideration.
Women in London reported the biggest disparities versus men when it came to the end of the month, taking home £15,054 less on average.
The Royal Mint released a new 50p coin earlier in January to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which gave women over 30 the right to vote, but the Young Women's Trust said this did very little to close the gender pay gap.
"We need urgent action to close the pay gap. Let's not just make new coins; let's look at who they're going to – because they certainly won't be going to women!" Easton said.
"Real equality means supporting women into better-paid, male-dominated sectors like engineering and construction and tackling low pay in women-dominated sectors. Helping parents share childcare more equally and supporting women back into the workforce after taking time out through flexible working opportunities would help, too," she added.