How Does the Gender Pay Gap in the UK Evolve and Affect Relationships?

Does the gender pay gap play a role in relationships? Does it grow bigger or smaller over time, and how does that affect people looking for long-term partners?

Understanding the Gender Pay Gap in the UK and Across the World

At the beginning of their careers, men and women usually earn the same. This displays a semblance of gender equality.

However, men begin to earn more than women due to several factors, such as motherhood. The gender pay gap becomes apparent over time.

According to the House of Commons Library, the gender pay gap measures "the difference between average (median) hourly earnings of men and women".

The 2023 UK gender pay gap data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the median gross hourly earnings of full-time employees was 7.7% lower for women than men. Conversely, for part-time employees, women earned 3.3% more than men per hour.

Due to a higher proportion of women being employed part-time and part-time workers typically earning less per hour, the overall gender pay gap among all employees was larger.

The average pay for all employees during the same period showed that female employees earned 14.3% less than male employees.

Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) revealed that the main reason behind most gender pay gaps is related to parenthood, particularly for women.

The study shows that while men's earnings remain largely unaffected by becoming parents, women experience a significant drop in earnings after having children.

Women's earnings tend to stay lower than men's, with minimal growth over time.

Seven years after the birth of their first child, women's earnings, on average, are less than half of men's.

The priorities of many working mums shift after giving birth to their firstborn. Parenthood often causes women to pause or reduce their careers, while it typically has the opposite effect on men.

Data from 1991 to 2017 indicates that the birth of a first child leads to differences in earnings, labour force participation, and hours worked between men and women.

According to the Pew Research Center in the US, 70% of mothers aged 25 to 34 were in the workforce in 2022. This is significantly lower compared to 84% of women of the same age without children.

Conversely, fathers are consistently more likely to be employed across their prime working years–– ages 25 to 54. In fact, employed fathers tend to work slightly longer hours than men without children.

Psychological factors also come into play when it comes to gender role attitudes.

Men often pursue their passion, such as in sports or music, in their younger years.

Meanwhile, women tend to focus more on their academic track and career at a very young age, perhaps due to their awareness of gender inequality.

When children enter the equation, women respond to their instinct as caregivers and begin to want to spend more time with the kids.

On the other hand, men step up and work harder to provide for the family, as expected by cultural norms.

As such, women spend more time at home and men spend more time at work. This potentially stalls a woman's earning potential and increases a man's, creating a bigger gender pay gap.

The Bottomline

Amid traditional notions that men should be earning more than women and providing for the family, money shouldn't be the only factor women consider when dating.

The circumstances of a man and woman in the early stages of their relationship are bound to change over time.

Most gender pay gap reports suggest that the median gender pay gap tends to increase over time due to several factors. So, even if a man earns less or the same amount as a woman now, his earning potential is likely to increase as time passes.

For us, at the end of the day, who earns more in a relationship isn't as important as our ability to collectively build wealth for our family.

What do you think about the gender pay gap and how it can affect relationships over time? Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts!

Keep reading here to learn more about why we believe money shouldn't be the only consideration in dating.

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