UK gender equality 'will take generations'

It will take decades to achieve actual gender equality between women and men in Britain, a new report claims.

The study by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) warns that gender equality is still generations away and the pay gap will take between 20 and 25 years to close.

Highlighting 22 leading indicators that measure the state of the nation in terms of gender equality, the report, Completing the Revolution states that the part-time pay gap will take 25 years to close unless action is taken, while the full-time pay gap will be bridged within 20 years.

In its final report before handing over to the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in October this year, the EOC estimates that the power gap for women in parliament will take nearly 200 years to close.

According to the EOC, at current rates it will be another 65 years before the balance of women at the top of FTSE 100 companies equalises, the pensions gap will take 45 years to address and the flexible working gap is unlikely to change unless further efforts are made to do so.

Jenny Watson, EOC chair, warned: "A country that channels women into low paid work, fails to adequately support families and forces people who want to work flexibly to trade down in jobs pays a high price in terms of child poverty, family breakdown and low productivity."

Women in Britain are currently paid 38 per cent less per hour for part-time work than men working full time and full-time female employees are paid 17 per cent less per hour on average than men.


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Date:25/07/2007 09:52:26