The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the extent to which women are underpaid and undervalued 50 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) states.

Friday 29 May marks exactly half a century since the Equal Pay Act 1970 received royal assent, making it a requirement for men and women in the same work to be treated equally, in terms of pay and the conditions of their work.

Equal pay is not the same as the gender pay gap, the latter representing the average difference between hourly wages for men and women.

Despite the long period of time that has passed, analysis conducted by the TUC to mark the anniversary suggested that amid the Covid-19 outbreak, women are more likely than men to be key workers.

Women are also more likely to be on a low salary, the trades union federation’s research stated.

The TUC said that of an estimated 9.8 million key workers in the UK, nearly two-thirds are women.

Furthermore, 2.6 million women key workers earn less than £10 an hour, the TUC stated.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the organisation, explained the significance of these findings 50 years after the passing of the Equal Pay Act.

“50 years after brave women won the legal right to equal pay, coronavirus has confirmed that pay inequality is still rife in Britain today,” O’Grady said.

“Working women have led the fight against coronavirus, but million of them are stuck in low-paid and insecure jobs.”

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