WOMEN in Oxfordshire will effectively be working for free from today when their wages are compared with men in the county.

Government data has revealed that men in Oxfordshire earn on average £1.68 an hour more than women – a 'gender pay gap' of 10.2 per cent – which is equivalent to women working for free from today until the end of the year.

Calls have been made for urgent action on the issue, with companies legally required to publish their gender pay gaps by April.

Charlotte Hayto, from West Oxfordshire, founded Girls Empowered to open up networking opportunities for women in their 20s who are starting out in their careers, moving up the ladder or setting up their own businesses.

The 24-year-old said: "It isn't enough to talk about it, or to raise salaries and employ more female staff for the sake of statistics.

"It is up to organisations to ensure they are fair in not just their hiring process, but the training and assistance provided in the role.

"Only when organisations start to consider all factors for women at work – from salary, to role, to environment – can we start to see a change in these statistics."

Campaigners have also taken the opportunity to highlight the disparity in the proportion of women in top jobs at major employers.

Oxford Brookes University is one major employer in the city that performs well in both areas.

A spokesman for the university said: "Oxford Brookes University has carried out equal pay reviews on a regular basis for many years.

"The latest figures indicate there are no significant gender pay gaps –at or above 5 per cent – at grade levels.

"We have a good representation of women at senior levels and our most recent employment figures, for July 2017, show that 48 per cent of our senior staff are female."

The gap between women and men is less pronounced than in other parts of the county, as the national average date for women to go unpaid is November 10 – a pay gap of 14 per cent.

Cowley-based charity Oxfam has a gender pay gap of 9.9 per cent, lower than the national average, and 67 per cent of its staff are women.

A spokesperson said: "We review the pay gap annually.

"Oxfam is committed to closing the gap ourselves and encouraging others to do so.

"We are focussed on enabling all staff to develop, and we encourage women with flexible working and job shares".

The combined workforce of Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils was the only major workforce in the county with a higher proportion of female employees than men.

A spokesman for the councils said: "Employee numbers are split 61 per cent female and 39 per cent male.

"We are committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and equally. This includes ensuring a fair recruitment process and equal pay for equal work through our job evaluation scheme.

"The councils report against number of equality aspects on an annual basis. Should this highlight any gender inequality, actions would be put in place to address the issues."

Oxford University does not yet share its data.