Women essentially working for free until 2016

According to experts, women have essentially worked for free since 9 November and will do so until the end of the year thanks to the gender pay gap.

Official figures put the pay gap at 14.2% based on average salaries for full-time work. Equal Pay Day, which takes place today, is the point at which women in effect stop earning compared to their male counterparts.

On average, full-time men earn £16.77 per hour excluding overtime, while women earn £14.39, according to the Office for National Statistics. The gender pay gap is widest at the age of 50-59, when it rises to 20.5%.

The date of Equal Pay Day changes each year. 2015’s event is five days later than last year, which indicates the gap has narrowed slightly. At the current rate of progress it would take 50 years to close the gap, says Sam Smethers, CEO of gender equality charity the Fawcett Society.

Read the original article by The Independent at ind.pn/1HpzGIq