It’s May, which means the deadline for gender pay gap reporting in the UK has now passed. Good, right? Well, only companies with 250+ employees are legally required to publish their numbers.
That’s around 8,000 businesses, leaving over five million others to operate in silence, passing through another year with no scrutiny, no accountability, no pressure to close the gap. It’s this silence that perpetuates the gender pay gap – one that sees women in the UK earning 14.3% less than men.
Reporting deadlines are important but not enough. We need culture change, not a few companies ticking a box. Real progress starts from the bottom up – with understanding the true nature of the gender pay gap, normalising uncomfortable conversations, and dismantling an inequitable system through targeted, intentional support.
The gender pay gap is a system, not a side effect
When people talk about the gender pay gap, caregiving always gets thrown into the conversation – which is valid. We’re not just referring to maternity leave here. Caring responsibilities also mean adoption, supporting a partner through illness, raising a child with additional needs, becoming the default emotional and logistical anchor for ageing parents. Often, it means doing much of this at once – as part of the growing “sandwich generation”.
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This is an issue that disproportionately affects women, with one in 10 women in their 30s leaving the labour market because of caring commitments, versus just one in 100 men. But focusing on that alone flattens the conversation. Crucially, the gender pay gap isn’t a side effect of women’s choices to give care. It’s a system that punishes them for making those choices.
History reflects this tension. Ada Lovelace, widely recognised as the world’s first computer programmer, laid the foundations of modern computing while raising three children. Her legacy doesn’t prove that women should or can do it all; it proves they always have. And that their contributions, made in spite of additional weight, deserve not admiration, but equity.
We must confront our culture of silence
There’s a quiet convenience in framing the gender pay gap as a caregiving issue: women earn less because they step away, because they choose to care, because they have children. Basically, it’s their fault.
But that explanation doesn’t hold up. Not when women without children, women without caregiving responsibilities, women who are single, childfree and working flat out still earn less than men doing the same job.
Inequality doesn’t wait for women to leave the room. It thrives while they’re sitting right there. Not only are women 14% less likely to be promoted, they’re often excluded from conversations where decisions get made. They are held to a higher standard, then criticised more harshly – receiving 2.5 times more negative feedback for often being “too aggressive”, and judged more harshly when they negotiate for higher pay.
And I have to say – this system is as brilliant as it is cruel. It doesn’t just disadvantage women in and out of the office, it convinces them that the problem lies within, turning structural inequality into personal doubt. When bias is constant, criticism is gendered and recognition is rationed, it’s no wonder so many women begin to question their own worth and feel like an imposter.
Silence sustains this vicious cycle. To break it, we need to talk about it. We must have uncomfortable conversations about salaries and benefits. Businesses must come face-to-face with their own unconscious biases and speak transparently with their female employees. Women must not feel embarrassed asking for “more” – they must feel empowered to demand what is fair.
I truly believe that these conversations are an invaluable catalyst for change. Normalising discussions on not just salaries, but the experiences and real needs of women can accelerate lip service into unprecedented action.
What does that action look like – and how can we rebuild the system?
Companies love to talk about how much they value their women. They’ll launch networks, write statements, make a post for International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month. But if that value isn’t reflected in pay, promotion or presence at the top – it’s not progress, it’s performative marketing or PR.
Real change requires holistic support that addresses the root causes of the gender pay gap and rebuilds the infrastructure that enables it. Mentoring is one of the most powerful tools we have because it builds networks, surfaces talent and creates advocates in the rooms where decisions are made.
Grace Hopper, the computing pioneer whose compiler transformed programming, was a fierce advocate for mentoring, using it to propel the next generation of women into leadership. She recognised that the issue wasn’t capability – it was, and still is, access. Women don’t need performance reviews telling them they’re “exceeding expectations.” They need targeted investment – in training that recognises the leadership potential they already hold, in returnships, sponsorships, in leadership programmes that are built to accelerate, not just support.
But these efforts must be matched by policy. A course gives someone the key to succeed; but without transparency, clear progression routes and equitable pay structures, that key might as well be to a door that’s been cemented shut.
What’s at stake: Social mobility and the future
If we’re serious about closing the gender pay gap, we need to challenge outdated norms and create new systems that allow women to thrive. That means offering structured career progression plans, mentorship opportunities, training and support systems that ensure women are not penalised for their other responsibilities.
Beyond fairness in the workplace, the pay gap limits women’s economic and social mobility by narrowing their career choices and slowing their progression. And when young girls grow up without seeing women in positions of power, it gives their ambition a ceiling.
This isn’t just a personal loss; it’s a collective one. Making up around 40% of the global workforce, women are not a footnote to progress; they are fundamental to it. You need only look at the litany of breakthroughs driven by women to understand their role in advancing humanity – from Marie Curie’s pioneering radiation research, which revolutionised medicine, to Margaret Hamilton’s Apollo code, which quite literally put humans on the moon.
When girls lack role models who are visible, valued and properly paid, we don’t just limit their futures. We limit the future – full stop.
Elfie Tan is a marketing and content strategist with over eight years of global experience driving audience engagement, brand visibility, and lead generation. Passionate about driving social mobility, she actively supports DEI-focused apprenticeship programmes and the work of Instep.
