New figures reveal women living in Oldham will effectively work more than one month for free this year due to the gender pay gap.

Stats by the Office for National Statistics reveal full-time female workers in Oldham earned on average £15.8 per hour, excluding overtime, as of April this year.

However, male workers in the borough earned £17.38, presenting a gap of 9.1 per cent.

The figures mean that by the end of the year, women will have effectively worked without pay since November 28.

The women's rights charity, the Fawcett Society, said progress in reducing the gender pay gap is too slow and has called on the government to introduce measures to help women into higher-paying work, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.

Nationwide, the figures show the full-time female workforce is paid an average hourly rate of £18.09 - 11.3 per cent less than the £20.04 hourly wage earned by men.

The gender pay gap is calculated on the difference between the average hourly wage between men and women across all jobs.

The calls come ahead of Equal Pay Day on November 20, the day which is marked as the turning point where women stop earning relative to men.

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: "Progress on tackling the gender pay gap is too slow and evidence continues to stack up that women want to see more being done.

"In the context of labour market shortages and the cost-of-living crisis, we really can’t afford not to act.

"We urgently need action from both the government and employers."

The campaign group called on the government to make flexible working available to all to help facilitate more women and mothers back into work.

The Fawcett Society also said employers should stop asking "discriminatory" wage history questions and publish salary bands on job adverts.

But the government's Equality Hub said the overall trend of the national gender pay gap has decreased over time since 1997.

A spokesperson added that the government has introduced legislation for the right to flexible working, shared parental leave and pay, and doubling free childcare.