New research has found that millions of jobs held by women in the UK pay less than the Real Living Wage, which is the pay level experts say is required for a decent standard of living.

The study, conducted by the Living Wage Foundation, reveals that 2.07 million roles held by women – 14% of the total – pay less than the Real Living Wage, compared with 1.4 million roles held by men, which is 9%. In addition, the analysis found that women are more likely to be on zero-hours contracts, with 13% of female employees on such deals, compared to 9% of male employees.

The study comes ahead of International Women’s Day, which takes place next week and will focus on “equity”. The Living Wage Foundation’s director, Katherine Chapman, has argued that “true equity needs to start with a Real Living Wage”. Almost 60% of all roles paid below the Real Living Wage are held by women, including jobs such as cleaning, catering and care work. The Real Living Wage in the UK is currently £10.90 an hour, rising to £11.95 in London where living costs are higher. In contrast, the government’s “National Living Wage” is just £9.50 an hour and only applies to workers aged 23 and over.

The Living Wage Foundation believes that a full-time worker on the Real Living Wage would be £2,730 better off than someone earning the National Living Wage. In response to the findings, the foundation has called on employers to commit to providing workers with “Living Hours” – a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours a week and at least four weeks’ notice of shifts – as well as the Real Living Wage. The foundation launched the “Living Hours” scheme in a bid to tackle the practice of unscrupulous bosses who cancel or book shifts at short notice, leaving desperate workers without compensation.

The Living Wage Foundation has previously revealed that over a quarter of UK workers – 7.6 million people – are paid less than the Real Living Wage. The foundation calculates the Real Living Wage as the minimum hourly rate required to meet the costs of living, including housing, food and other basic expenses. The Living Wage Foundation’s figures also show that the proportion of women paid below the Real Living Wage is rising, with the rate increasing from 12% in 2019 to 14% last year.

The foundation has welcomed the fact that several major companies have recently signed up to its “secure work” pledge, including IKEA and Aviva. The pledge commits employers to providing workers with secure contracts, at least 16 hours’ work per week and four weeks’ notice of shifts. The foundation believes that such arrangements would help to provide workers with certainty and allow them to plan their finances more effectively. The Living Wage Foundation is now calling on other companies to follow their example and commit to providing workers with Living Hours and the Real Living Wage.