Older women face widest pay gap

Women over 50 face the largest gender pay gap in the country according to Rest Less, an online support community for older workers.

Women between 50 and 59 earned on average more than £7,000 a year less than men in 2022, a 24% pay gap that rose to 26% for women over 60. This compares to the gender pay gap for all groups of 19%, while it stands at 9% for 22-29-year olds, 14% for those between 30 and 39, and 22% for 40-49-year olds.

Rest Less compared 2022 salary data from the ONS with the previous 10 years and found that, while the pay gap across all age groups has narrowed over the decade – from 24% in 2012 – it remains highest for those in their 50s and 60s. Workers in their 50s were the only group not to face a wider gap since the pandemic, however.

Rest Less chief executive Stuart Lewis said older women are facing “devastating long-term consequences” of lower pay that affect their retirement provision and financial independence in later life.

“Caring responsibilities, the burden of which still falls disproportionately on women, means women can miss out on salary progression during their careers – which compounds as time goes on, widening the gender pay gap as we age,” he concluded.