New research reveals that the UK’s gender pay gap has been consistently underestimated for decades, with the real figure about one percentage point higher than official data suggests. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), women in full-time roles earn 7% less per hour than men, but across all contracts, the gap widens to 13.1%, meaning women make £869 for every £1,000 earned by men. Academics argue this undercount stems from survey methods that fail to properly account for jobs in smaller, younger private firms.
While the ONS insists the impact is small, the findings highlight that the UK’s gap is already among the highest in Europe, more than double that of France and Spain, and above both EU and OECD averages.
Compiled From: Servet Yanatma, “Academic research shows UK gender gap undersestimated in official data for decades”, EuroNews, Sept. 06, 2025.