News / Interviews

Women activists dismiss govt. gender policy

Wednesday, 04 November 2015 1:11 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 04 November 2015 5:21 PM ]

UK women angry at govt.'s gender pay gap measures

The British government’s plan to address the gender pay gap has provoked criticisms of woman activists.

The former Conservative minister for women and equalities, Maria Miller said government measures to address the gender pay gap are not tackling the situation facing women over 40.

Miller said unequal pay was predominantly a problem that affected women over 40 and that the measures already announced by the government did not account for this group.

She announced that an inquiry has already been launched by the women and equalities committee into government strategy on reducing the difference between what women and men are paid.

Miller, who chairs the committee, said the inquiry would aim to “fill this gap in government thinking”.

“We’ll be asking about barriers to promotion; recruitment and training; problems facing women in predominantly female sectors and non-professional roles – and much more,” said Miller.

Official figures say the gap between all male and female UK employees stood at 19.1% in 2014, measured by median gross hourly pay. When only full-time employees are counted, the gender pay gap is 9.4%, with large variations by age and sector.

According to the figures, the pay gap is low or slightly reversed among 18 to 39-year-olds, but the gap for hourly earnings grows from the age of 40 onwards, reaching its highest point for women in their 50s.

Media reports say, the government plans to announce its proposals to tackle the gender pay gap in early 2016, but the Prime Minister David Cameron has already announced that every company with more than 250 employees will be legally required to publish the difference between the average pay of their male and female employees.

“There is still a huge gap between men and women in UK society particularly in terms of job pay,” the London-based political analyst Chris Bambery told Press TV’s UK Desk.

He went on saying that the gap is deeply rooted in the UK’s history and the governments have not been serious enough to tackle the issue for ever.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk