Women will disproportionately benefit from new workers’ rights measures rolled out from next month, according to research.
The TUC said approximately 4.7 million women are to benefit from stronger sick pay from April, including more than 830,000 who will receive statutory sick pay for the first time.
These are the lowest-paid women, who are currently not eligible to receive sick pay because they earn below the threshold of £125 a week, the study found.
The TUC said low-paid workers, especially women, have missed out on any form of sick pay for too long, leaving them with no choice but to go into work when they are ill.
As well as stronger sick pay, from April fathers and partners will have a day-one right to paternity leave, and all parents will gain the day-one right to unpaid parental leave under changes from the Employment Rights Act.
Paul Nowak, the TUC general secretary, said: “For too long women have borne the brunt of a sick pay system that is not fit for purpose, and a culture of exploitative, insecure work.
“That’s why the Employment Rights Act is an important step forward for women at work.”
A government spokesperson said: “The Employment Rights Act is a huge boost for women in the workplace – introducing enhanced protections for pregnant women and new mothers, menopause action plans for large employers and rights for parental leave from day one.
“Women thriving in the workplace is not just important for equality but for boosting economic growth.”
Shared parental leave, which allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a child, was introduced in 2014.
New fathers can take two weeks’ paid leave at a rate of either £187.18 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lowest.
Research last year found that mothers lose an average of £65,618 in pay by the time their first child turns five, as the “motherhood penalty” risks their financial security.
Mums in England are hit by a “substantial and long-lasting reduction” in their pay after they have children, as they become less likely to stay in paid employment, the Office for National Statistics found.
It found women’s average monthly earnings had fallen by 42%, or £1,051 per month, five years after the birth of their first child, compared with their pay one year before the birth.
This equated to a loss of £65,618 over five years, according to the analysis, which tracked pay data from 2014 to 2022.
