04/07/2008
Equality Bill to tackle gender pay gap
by Kate Harvey
The Family and Planning Institute is urging the Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman, to use the Equality Bill to address the gender pay gap.
The organisation released a report at their Modern Mothering conference on Wednesday entitled "Listening to Mother."
The report showed that when a woman becomes a mother, her average wage is 67% of a man’s, and likely to stay the same for a decade.
Sally Gimson, Campaigns Manager at the FPI and author of the report, said:
“Regardless of how much money they earn – all working mothers face financial inequality after they have a baby, a fate not shared by fathers. We think the Equality Bill is a real chance to tackle the very real and specific dilemmas that face mothers as they raise their children.”
Announcing the key features of the proposed Equality Bill in Parliament last week, Harman said:
“It is impossible to tackle discrimination when it is hidden. That is why we want a new era of openness when it comes to pay, so that women can see – in their own workplace – just how much more men get paid than them.”
The calls come just two weeks after a report by the TUC, the Fawcett Society and the End Poverty Association which criticised women’s low pay and blamed it for child poverty rates in the UK. See latest news 20/06/2008
A more detailed report of the proposals will be revealed next month.