Young women face pay gap penalty

Young women workers are facing an annual income pay gap of 21% compared to young men, according to a Young Women’s Trust analysis of gender pay gap statistics released by the Office for National Statistics in October.

While the official gender pay gap is smaller, at 2.25% for 18-29-year-olds than for older workers, the Trust’s comparison of overall annual pay, rather than average hourly earnings, shows a far wider gap between young men and women.

“It’s outrageous that in 2022 we see girls outperforming boys at school only to expect them to earn a fifth less when they enter the world of work,” said its chief executive, Claire Reindorp. “Although any widening of the gap is a cause for concern and is another symptom of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women, we can take heart from the longer term downward trend. This shows us this is a problem that can be successfully tackled,” she added.