Summary
'Jobs
for the Girls: Two Years On' (HC 291-I) seeks to examine what action has
been taken to implement the 2005 recommendations of the Women and Work
Commission concerning job segregation and the gender pay gap.
Despite thirty years of equal pay legislation the gender pay gap, although
narrowing, remains. Because men and women tend to work in different occupations
- and traditional female occupations tend to be lower paid and lower valued
than men's - the gender pay gap has proved difficult to eliminate. Such
occupational segregation significantly limits the pool of recruits available to
employers.
The Committee finds that:
- There are insufficient
training opportunities for women in non-traditional occupations and, until
recently, little advice available for older women who want to change their work
direction or who want to return after a break.
- The announced extension
in apprenticeships is welcome but must not simply follow traditional
occupational breakdowns.
- It is important to address the undervaluation
of 'traditional' women's jobs.
- The dearth of quality part-time jobs is
a waste of the experience and skills of many older women and one of the main
reasons for the persistence of the gender pay gap.
The extension to
the private sector of the gender equality duty imposed on the public sector
from April 2007 could encourage greater transparency and positive action but it
is too still early to judge the success of this duty. It is clearly the case
that the gender pay gap remains worryingly stubborn. The Committee recommends
that if the pay gap continues to decline slowly the Government should look at
further measures, such as the extension of the gender equality duty, and
consider making pay audits mandatory.
Found this story interesting?
Spread the news by clicking below to add it to your bookmarking
service: