The deadline for reporting the gender pay gap in the UK is now past. Good, right? Only companies with 250+ workers are legally required by law to publish their employee numbers.
This silence perpetuates the gender pay gap, which sees women in the UK earning 14.3% less than men. Silence perpetuates the gender wage gap, which sees females in the UK earn 14.3% less than males.
The reporting deadlines are necessary but not sufficient. Not just a few companies checking a box, but a culture shift is needed. Real progress begins at the bottom, with the understanding of the true nature and gender pay gap. Normalising uncomfortable conversations is key, as well as dismantling inequitable systems through targeted, intentional assistance.
The gender pay gap, which is not an accident or a side-effect, is a systematic issue.
Caregiving is always mentioned when people discuss the gender pay gap – and this is not wrong. This is not only about maternity leave. Caregiving responsibilities include adoption, support for a partner in illness, raising children with special needs and becoming the default emotional anchor and logistical anchor of ageing parents. It is common to have to do all of these things at once, as part of a growing “sandwich” generation.
This issue is disproportionately affecting women. One in ten women who are in their 30s leave the workforce because of childcare commitments compared to just one man in 100. Focusing on this alone will only flatten the conversation. The gender pay gap, it’s important to note, is not a result of women choosing to take care of their children. It’s the system that punishes women for their choices.
This tension is reflected in history. Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer and raised three children while laying the foundations for modern computing. It is not her legacy that proves women could or should do it all. It proves it has always been the case. Their contributions, made despite their additional weight, are not worthy of admiration but deserve equity.
Our culture of silence must be challenged
It’s convenient to frame the gender pay gap in terms of caregiving: women earn less money because they stay home, because they decide to take care of their children, or because they are mothers. It’s essentially their fault.
This explanation is not valid. Women without children or caregiving responsibilities earn less than women with the same job.
Inequality does not wait until women leave the room. Inequality thrives when women are present. Women are 14% less likely than men to be promoted and they’re also excluded from discussions where decisions are made. Women are held to higher standards, and then criticised harsher – they receive 2.5 times as much negative feedback when they’re “too aggressive” – and is judged more harshly when they negotiate higher pay.
This system is both brilliant and cruel. This system not only disadvantages women at work, but also convinces them to believe that their own fault is the cause of the problem, resulting in personal doubt. It’s not surprising that women feel insecure and doubt themselves when they are constantly subjected to bias, gendered criticism and rationed recognition.
Silence perpetuates this vicious circle. Talk about it. We need to have uncomfortable discussions about salaries and benefits. Businesses need to confront their unconscious biases, and be transparent with their female staff. Women should not be embarrassed to ask for “more”. They must feel empowered and confident enough to demand fair.
These conversations, I believe, are a catalyst for positive change. It is possible to transform lip service into action by normalising conversations about women’s experiences, not only their salaries.
What is the action that we need to take – and what can be done to rebuild our system?
The companies love to tell how much their women are valued. Companies will launch networks, issue statements, or make a blog post to celebrate International Women’s Day, Women’s History Month, etc. If that value doesn’t reflect in pay, promotions or presence at top, then it is not progress. It’s just performative marketing and PR.
To achieve real change, we need to provide holistic support. We must address the root causes behind the gender pay gap as well as rebuild the infrastructure which enables it. Mentoring is a powerful tool because it creates networks, identifies talent and places advocates in rooms where decisions are being made.
Grace Hopper was an advocate of mentoring. She used it to help the next generation women rise into leadership. She understood that access was the problem, not capability. Women do not need to be told that they are “exceeding their expectations” by performance reviews. They need to receive targeted investments – in training which recognises that they have leadership potential, in sponsorships and returnships as well as Leadership Programmes designed for acceleration, rather than just support.
These efforts must also be matched with policy. The key to success is a course, but without clear progression routes, equitable pay structures and transparency, the door to success may as well have been closed.
What’s at stake? Social mobility and the Future
We need to create new systems to allow women to flourish if we are serious about closing the pay gap. This means providing structured career advancement plans, mentoring opportunities, training, and support systems to ensure women aren’t penalised for other responsibilities.
The pay gap is not just about fairness at work. It also limits women’s social and economic mobility, by limiting their career options and slowing down their progress. When young girls are not exposed to women in power positions, their ambitions will be limited.
This is not just a loss for individuals; it’s also a collective loss. Women are not just a footnote in the progress of humanity; they are its foundation. It is not necessary to look beyond the women who have made significant contributions to humanity to appreciate their importance. From Marie Curie’s groundbreaking radiation research that revolutionised medicine to Margaret Hamilton’s Apollo code which literally put humans on moon, you can see how important they are.
We limit girls’ futures when they lack role models that are visible, valued, and paid properly. We limit thefuture, period.
