‘Action needed on gender pay gap’
THE UK Government will fail in its goal to eliminate the gender pay gap in a generation if it continues to ignore evidence about what needs to change, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
They fear the Government is failing to effectively tackle the reasons why women so often earn less than their male counterparts.
Maria Miller, the Bridgend-educated chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said the Government’s response to a major report by the committee was “deeply disappointing”.
Across the UK, last year men in full-time work had median average earnings of £578 while women earned just £481. In Wales, men had a weekly average wage of £525 but women received just £449.
The key recommendations of the committee include: 1. Addressing the “part-time pay penalty” and flexible working The committee warns: “Flexible working for all lies at the heart of addressing the gender pay gap. This does not mean part-time working, which is underpaid and limits career progression. The Government is not taking the steps needed to ensure flexible working is offered to all employees, particularly those in lower paid sectors.” 2. Supporting parents to share childcare equally The MPs state: “As long as women continue to take the majority of responsibility for childcare and other forms of unpaid caring, pay differentials will persist. The Government recognises the benefits of men and women sharing care equally, but its flagship policy, shared parental leave, is predicted to make little difference.” 3. Helping women back into the workforce The committee found women faced barriers to returning to work and there and there was “scope for schemes which support women returning to work across a range of occupations”. 4. Addressing low pay in “highly feminised sectors” such as catering, cleaning and caring The MPs warn: “Other than the minimum wage, there has been no coordinated attempt to address the issues faced by women in low paid sectors.”
Victoria Winckler, of the Merthyr Tydfil-based Bevan Foundation, said: “We’re a generation on from the Equal Pay Act yet women still face a pay penalty simply for being female. Of course you don’t see separate women’s and men’s rates of pay advertised like you did 35 years ago – but there’s still inequality because so many women end up in part-time, women’s work. The inequality is not as obvious but it’s still there.” The committee is disappointed that the Government rejected most of its recommendations.
Ms Miller said: “The Government says there is no place for a gender pay gap in modern Britain and has restated its pledge to end the pay gap within a generation. But without effectively tackling the key issues of flexible working, sharing unpaid caring responsibilities, and supporting women aged over 40 back into the workforce, the gender pay gap will not be eliminated.
“It is deeply disappointing that our recommendations have not been taken on board. My committee will continue to pursue action to reduce the gender pay gap”
The MPs argue flexible working should be possible in all jobs “unless an employer can demonstrate an immediate and continuing business case against doing so”.
They learned that “just 8.7% of jobs paying a full-time equivalent of £20,000 are advertised as available to work flexibly or part-time”.
This, they argue, “creates a significant bottleneck to women’s employment, promotion and progression opportunities”.
The committee recommended that fathers and second parents should be entitled to “three months’ well-paid, non-transferable paternal leave in addition to current parental leave benefits”.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to addressing the gender pay gap. Our £11m Agile Nation 2 project, run in partnership with Chwarae Teg and jointly funded by the EU, supports 2,750 women and works with 400 employers to promote female career advancement.
“We are also working to deliver the most generous childcare package for working parents in the UK. The scheme will be piloted in six areas from September.”