Zarah ChoudharyThe UK has dropped to 18th place in the latest PwC ‘Women in Work’ Index, its lowest position in over a decade.
Despite improvements in the gender wage gap and female labour force participation, the UK was outpaced by other countries, resulting in its fall from the top spot among G7 economies for the first time since 2019.
Canada ranked highest among G7 nations in workplace gender equality.
The UK’s gender pay gap improved from 14.5% to 13.3%, but remained slightly above the OECD average of 13.1%.
The female labour force participation rate stayed at 74.8%, higher than the OECD and G7 averages.
However, the gender participation gap widened from 7.1% to 7.8%, and the UK’s female full-time employment rate ranked 27th out of 33 countries, well below the OECD average.
Economic analysis in the report estimated that increased female workforce participation has contributed £6.2bn annually to the UK economy since 2011.
If gender equality in participation rates were achieved by 2045, this figure could increase by £4.7bn per year.
If the current pace of improvement continues, the UK economy could gain £43.5bn by 2030.
However, at the observed rate of progress, the gender pay gap across the OECD could take more than 46 years to close.
Regional disparities in workplace gender equality persist. Scotland ranked highest in the UK, with improvements in the gender pay gap and workforce participation.
London dropped to 11th place, with declines across key indicators.
Globally, Iceland, New Zealand, and Luxembourg continue to lead the index, while Korea and Mexico rank at the bottom, citing entrenched gender biases and lower female workforce participation.
