The state of pay: Demystifying the gender pay gap

The UK has a gender pay gap: within industries, within occupations, and within organisations, women tend to earn less per hour than men. A small proportion of this gap may be the result of unequal pay for the same work within a firm – which is illegal on the grounds of gender and other protected characteristics – but the majority is a consequence of the sort of jobs that women do, their level of seniority, and the impact of having children on their career choice and progression.