Gap between male and female employment rate (positive gap represents higher male than female employment rate). Find out more about this indicator.

In 2020, the gender employment rate gap was 4.7 percentage points, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since 2019.

In 2020, the male employment rate exceeds the female employment rate, with the current gap being 4.7 percentage points, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since 2019.

The current gap is at its narrowest since the series began in 2007 and has decreased by 5.8 percentage points since then

In 2020:

• The gender employment rate gap is narrower in younger age groups (16-24; 25-34) than in older age groups (35-49; 50-64). In all age groups except 16-24, the gender employment rate gap has decreased since 2019. 
• The gender employment rate gap is negative for those who are disabled (using the Equality Act definition) i.e. the female employment rate is higher than the male employment rate. The gender employment rate gap for disabled people is now wider than at any time since 2014 (with the female employment rate exceeding the male employment rate) and the gap for not disabled is now narrower than at any time over the same period (with the male employment rate exceeding the female employment rate).
• The male employment rate exceeds the female employment rate across all quintiles, and is highest in the less deprived areas (quintiles 4 and 5). This represents a change since the series began in 2007, where the gap was broadly similar across all areas of deprivation but has narrowed at a faster rate in the most deprived quintiles.
• The gender employment rate gap for the minority ethnic population aged 16-64 is over four times that of the gap for the white population aged 16-64. Although the gap for the minority ethnic group has reduced by around one third since the series began in 2011, the gap for the white group has halved over the same period.
• The gender employment rate gap is lowest amongst those who reported that they have ‘No Religion’. Since the series began in 2011, the gap has reduced in the ‘Christian’, ‘Muslim’ and ‘No Religion’ classifications but has more than doubled (to 23.6 per cent) amongst those with ‘Other’ religions.

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, ethnicity and religion. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.