The ‘pocket money gap’ is an alternative fact

Parents: stop whatever you are doing, go home and give your daughter more pocket money. She needs it. A report out this week shows that girls are getting less than their fair share from the bank of mum and dad; a whopping £2.20 a week less, to be precise. Boys are favoured when it comes to doling out allowances, with brothers routinely getting more than their sisters.

Poor girls. The gender pay gap is never out of the headlines for long and to find out it kicks in before you even leave school, never mind get a job, must come as a terrible blow. I’m expecting my daughter to milk this news for all she’s worth. As Everyday Sexism’s Laura Bates has been quick to point out, this missing £2.20 a week has consequences that go way beyond Red Bull and phone credits. Apparently, the gender pocket money gap sends out powerful indicators to children about their ‘worth’ and ‘what will be expected of them in adulthood’.