Double hit in pay gap

Urgent measures are needed by employers and the government to close the gender pay gap, according to a new report.

The Fawcett Society, which fights for gender equality, said women face “double trouble” because of the combined impact of the cost of living crisis and the difference in their pay compared with men.

The group said its research showed that women, on average, take home £564 less than men each month during

2022. Its survey of almost 2,000 women also found that one in three would like to work more paid hours than they currently do but are unable to because of a lack of flexible working or childcare.

Fawcett Society chief executive Jemima Olchawski, above, said: “The gender pay gap has barely shifted in the past few years, especially given thecostoflivingcrisisis hitting women the hardest and forcing them to make impossible choices.”