Women earn more than 12 per cent less less than men per hour in Sheffield, according to official figures

In total, according to the Office for National Statistics, women in the city earned 12.9 per cent than their male colleagues last year. The UK average for the same time period is 17.3 per cent.

This is the median difference, a measure which takes the middle of a range of figures, to exclude very low or high earners.

Gemma Rosenblatt, head of policy and campaigns at the Fawcett Society, a charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights, said women’s work needed to be valued more equally.

She said: "The impact of the pay gap is much more far-reaching than an individual's monthly pay packet.

“It leads to a lifetime of income inequality for women. And some groups of women, for example women of colour, face even larger penalties.”

The gender pay gap is partly attributed to the fact women are more likely to work part-time. In total, 43 per cent of female workers in Sheffield did so in September last year, compared to 18 per cent of men.

The gap is also actually bigger among full-time workers in the city.

Women earn an average of 16.2 per cent less per year than men, with a median salary of £25,003 in 2019, compared with £29,848 for men.

The pay gap has also been revealed to follow women into their retirement.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show men in Sheffield collected an average of £30.37 more than women every week from their state pension during August last year.

The average male pensioner took home £171.01 per week compared with £140.64 for females, meaning women receive 18 per cent less.

Research has also highlighted a gender gap when it comes to private workplace pensions.

The Pensions Policy Institute says women are being hit by a penalty on part-time work while they care for children or elderly relatives.

In Sheffield, 15,890 people were claiming Pension Credit in August, 63 per cent of them women, reflecting a population of female retirees with lower state and private pensions.

The most recent local figures on unpaid care came from the 2011 census, which asked Sheffield residents about the care they provided for disabled or sick family members or friends, excluding ordinary child care.

Women made up 58 per cent of the 57,205 people who said they provided at least some unpaid care. Overall, 12 per cent of women said they were carers compared to nine per cent of men.

While most carers provided between one and 19 hours of care every week, women in the city also made up 59 per cent of those who said they did at least 50 hours per week.