Women ‘work for nothing’
WOMEN across Glasgow and the rest of Scotland will effectively work for free for the rest of the year from today.
Figures show women earn on average 14 per cent less than men, which means they are unpaid for their work as of today.
WOMEN across Glasgow and the rest of Scotland will effectively work for free for the rest of the year from today.
Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics, published last week, show progress has stalled on the country’s gender pay gap.
As women earn on average 14 per cent less than men, it means they are unpaid for their work as of today.
Anna Ritchie Allan, executive director of Close the Gap, said: “Another Equal Pay Day passes with no change in women’s experiences of employment, which finds them clustered into undervalued, low-paid jobs such as cleaning, caring and retail.
“We know the lack of quality part-time work particularly affects women, and results in their continued under-representation in higher-paid, management and senior positions.
“The pay gap is an endemic problem which requires a cohesive, strategic response to address its many interrelated causes.
“Close the Gap has enthusiastically welcomed Scottish Government’s commitment to develop an action plan to tackle Scotland’s persistent gender pay gap. We would urge the government to be bold in its approach.
“It’s time to translate the rhetoric around the pay gap into substantive action, and create meaningful change for women.”
It has previously been reported that the gender pay gap in Scotland will take more than 100 years to close.
The Fawcett Society claimed the drive to equalise pay is going backwards, with younger women as well as older female employees seeing their pay fall behind that of men.
Equal pay is currently a hot topic in Glasgow with 8,000 women claiming against Glasgow City Council for decades of unfair pay.
Thousands of female council workers went on a highprofile strike last month over the issue, which may cost the local authority as much as £500 million to resolve.
The overall mean pay gap between men and women is 13.9 per cent, while the gap for full-time pay is 10.2 per cent. For part-time pay is 29.7 per cent.
Catherine Mayer, president of the Women’s Equality Party, said “The Women’s Equality Party is asking women and girls to set their Out Of Office on email and social media on Friday.
“Because if they aren’t being paid to work, then why should they?”
“Women are rightly fed up at the lack of progress.”