The pay gap between men and women remains significant and has hardly decreased in 25 years in the United Kingdom, according to a study published on Monday which questions in particular the persistence of social norms.
"
On average, a woman of working age in the United Kingdom earned 40% less than a man
" of the same age group in 2019, that is to say before the pandemic, underlines this study of the Institute for Fiscal Studies ( IFS).
Read also At equivalent position, are women's salaries 18% lower than those of men?
This massive gap is due in particular to the fact that women work almost 10% less than men and work eight paid hours less per week. At this 40% level, the gender pay gap is 13 percentage points lower than its level in the mid-1990s, but three-quarters of this reduction can be explained "
by the rapid increase in educational attainment. women
”. Those of working age are now 5% more likely than a man of the same age to have a university degree when they were 5% less likely 25 years ago, details IFS .
If we omit this progress in the educational level, the pay gap has hardly changed in 25 years, underlines the IFS. In terms of hourly wages, women earn on average 19% less per hour, against 24% less in 1995, but this figure has hardly changed since 2005. In addition, the hourly wage gap has widened. reduced for low-skilled employees in particular thanks to increases in the minimum wage, but increased for those with secondary or higher education.
Wage differentials "
appear to be fueled by entrenched social norms
" but the IFS study, based on the experiences of foreign countries, believes that it is "
possible to make progress
." In particular, thanks to policies which limit the difference between the social roles attached to men and women, such as “
unpaid
” work in the home. “
Even expensive policies like providing more free childcare could pay off if they help ensure that men and women are employed in their most productive roles
,” IFS concludes.
"
The gap between men and women on all wages is in the United Kingdom almost twice that of other countries, which suggests that it is largely influenced by the political and cultural context
", remarks Mark Franks, an official at the Nuffield Foundation, an anti-poverty NGO.
“
For example, women tend to care more for children even when they earn the most in the household, and other countries have more generous parental leave policies than in the UK,
” he adds. he.