By Emma Kosmin - Senior Campaigner at The Centre for Progressive Change

Nobody wants to get sick. But when we do, we deserve to be able to take the time that we need to get better. In the UK we have one of the lowest rates of sick pay of any developed country - and it is usually women who pay the price.

Many employers provide sick pay schemes to their employees. But one in three people in the workforce only get either Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), or receive no sick pay at all.

SSP is set at an unlivable £109.40 per week - less than £3 an hour. It is only available from the fourth day that you are ill. And if you earn less than £123 per week (the ‘lower earnings limit’) with your employer then you are not eligible for it. 

Women are twice as likely as men to miss out on sick pay

The lower earnings limit means that 1.3 million people miss out on any sick pay at all. That's because they don’t earn enough with their employer to qualify for it. Women are the most likely to miss out, as they are more likely to work in lower paid jobs. 

According to new figures from the TUC, 6.5% of women do not earn enough to receive SSP when they are ill, compared to just 2.8% of men.

If the lower earnings limit gets removed, 70% of the people set to benefit are women.

Men are more likely to receive full pay when they are sick

Men are far more likely than women to receive full pay when they are ill (62% compared to 52%).

And 26% of women only receive SSP, compared to 21% of men. That's because men are more likely to have more generous sick pay schemes.

Women face the gender health gap

Research has found a gender health gap in the UK where many women receive poorer healthcare than men. In fact, the UK has the largest gender health gap in the G20.

And it may be harder for many women to take the time needed to rest when sick. Tavistock Relationships’ Hidden Workers report found that for women with caring responsibilities, work does not stop when they get home. The report found that domestic chores took up several more hours a day on top of paid work.

Women deserve Safe Sick Pay

The Safe Sick Pay campaign proposes reforms to the system that ensure everyone is eligible for sick pay, from the first day that they are sick, at a rate that means they can take time off to get better. These reforms are an opportunity to make the world of work fairer for women, by having safe workplaces that help people recover from sickness as quickly as possible.

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