In bleak news ahead of International Women’s Day, the latest Women In Work Index from advisory firm PwC has awarded the UK its lowest ranking for workplace gender equality in a decade.

The UK is currently lagging in 18th place (out of 33 countries) with the report highlighting the “sluggish” pace of change in women’s earnings relative to men’s. At the current pace, it is estimated that it will take 46 years to close the gender pay gap.

While the UK did marginally improve the gap between the average earnings of men and women, it was held back by the relatively slow pace of change and worsening unemployment levels and participation in the workforce relative to men, according to the rankings based on 2023 data. The UK’s performance on female full-time employment was found to be particularly poor at 68.9% in the figures, putting it 27th out of 33 of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) most important economies, and significantly below the OECD average of 78.1%.

The UK has been awarded its lowest ranking for workplace gender equality in a decade