Report shows lack of quality part-time jobs for women

The research, by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Women and Equality Unit (DTI), shows that improved access to flexible part-time work is needed if the pay gap between man and women is to be closed.

Figures show that British women who work part-time earn an average 22 per cent less, in terms of rates of pay, than those working full-time.

Professor Manning, at the London School of Economics, said: “Women working part-time are not using the skills they have. That means they’re not earning to their full potential. More part-time and flexible opportunities would be an important step to help reduce the part-time pay penalty these women suffer.”

Despite this, the research shows that the UK has one of the highest levels of job satisfaction for women working part-time.

The part-time pay penalty is less of a problem when a woman stays with the same employer, with the difference in pay rates between women who work part-time and full time within the same occupation as low as 3 per cent.

In the light of such inequalities, Patricia Hewitt, Trade and Industry Secretary and Minister for Women, announced the membership of the Women and Work Commission. The commission will make recommendations to the Government on tackling the pay gap between men and women.

Margaret Prosser, chair of the commission, said: “This research tells us why women are sometimes penalised if they want to work part-time. It is a vital piece of the jigsaw which helps us understand the enduring gender pay gap.”