Why Women Are Paying More for Inflation Than Men in 2025
Rising prices are not affecting everyone equally. Women are facing a higher cost of living than men due to spending patterns, childcare costs, and sector-based price increases.
Inflation has eased in the UK since its peak in 2023, but not everyone is benefiting equally. Recent data suggests that women are facing higher real-world inflation than men. The difference isn’t due to discrimination in pricing — it’s driven by spending patterns and rising costs in female-dominated sectors.
The Inflation Gender Gap
A 2025 analysis by the Fawcett Society found that women experience inflation rates up to 1.2 percentage points higher than men. This is because women, on average, spend a larger share of their income on essentials such as food, childcare, and healthcare — all categories that have seen above-average price increases.
Source: Fawcett Society – Gender and Cost of Living Report 2025
How Inflation Differs by Gender
1. Spending on Essentials
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that food prices rose 6.3 percent in the year to April 2025, while energy costs fell slightly. Lower-income households — where women are overrepresented — spend proportionally more on groceries and utilities, making their personal inflation rate higher.
Source: ONS – Consumer Price Inflation April 2025
2. Childcare and Family Costs
Childcare remains one of the fastest-rising expenses in the UK. According to Coram Family and Childcare, average nursery fees increased 8 percent in 2025, far outpacing wage growth.
Women are disproportionately affected, as they are more likely to work part-time or take on unpaid care responsibilities.
Source: Coram Family and Childcare – Annual Childcare Survey 2025
3. Healthcare and Personal Goods
The cost of health and personal care products has risen steadily, with imported pharmaceuticals and hygiene products seeing above-average inflation due to supply chain costs.
Women’s personal care expenses rose 5.8 percent in 2025, according to Resolution Foundation analysis of ONS microdata.
Source: Resolution Foundation – Household Cost Tracker 2025
The Impact on Real Wages
While overall wages are growing at around 5 percent, women’s average pay growth remains lower due to sectoral concentration in lower-paying industries such as hospitality, retail, and education.
The Bank of England notes that the gender pay gap, combined with higher spending on essentials, amplifies the inflation gap. Women effectively experience slower recovery in purchasing power.
Source: Bank of England – Labour Market and Inflation Outlook 2025
Long-Term Implications
Persistent inflation inequality has long-term social and economic consequences:
- Slower wealth accumulation for women.
- Greater reliance on credit to cover essentials.
- Higher vulnerability to financial stress and debt cycles.
Economists argue that inflation’s unequal burden could widen gender gaps in savings, pensions, and financial security if not addressed through targeted policy.
What Could Help
- Expanded Childcare Support – Reducing childcare costs would directly ease pressure on working mothers.
- Improved Wage Growth in Public Sectors – Raising pay in education and healthcare would reduce inequality.
- Gender-Specific Cost of Living Metrics – Policymakers could publish inflation breakdowns by demographic to guide fairer support.
The Bottom Line
Inflation is not gender-neutral. Women in the UK face higher living costs because they spend more on essential goods and services that have risen fastest in price. Closing the inflation gap requires more than monetary policy — it demands targeted action on wages, childcare, and equality in economic opportunity.
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