Women in the UK are effectively working for free for more than two months due to the gender pay gap, according to data published by the Trades Union Congress.

The current gender pay gap for full-time and part-time employees stands at 18.4%. This pay gap means that women effectively work for free for the first 67 days of the year, until they begin to get paid on Women’s Pay Day which was yesterday, 8 March.

The study found that the gender pay gap was even bigger in certain industries.

In the education sector, the gender pay gap is currently 26.5%, so the average woman effectively works for free for the first 97 days and must wait until the 7 April before she starts earning the same as the average man. In Health and Social Work, the average woman waits 69 days while Finance and Insurance recorded the longest wait period (130 days).

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that the Labour Government yesterday pledged to find employers who do not close the gender pay gap. Under a Labour government, private and public employers who have 250 workers or more would have to audit their gender pay and prove they are taking action to close the gap or face a fine.

Guidelines from the UK government website states that organisations with 250 employees or more must report on their gender pay gap by 30 March 2018 while businesses and charities must publish by 4 April each year. The guidelines also cover deadlines for agency workers and self-employed.

“Companies publishing information on their gender pay gaps is a small step in the right direction but it’s nowhere near enough,” TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said. “Women in the UK will only start to get paid properly when we have better-paid part-time and flexible jobs. And higher wages in key sectors like social care.

"Workplaces that recognise unions are more likely to have family friendly policies and fair pay. So a good first step for women worried about their pay is to join a union,” O’Grady said.

During International Women’s Day yesterday, women workers in Spain went on strike to protest gender inequality and sexual discrimination. In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe proposed a measure which would see companies fined for failing to erase the gender pay gap.