New commission will attempt to close the gender pay gap

Announced by Tony Blair in July, the commission will recommend to the Government ways of tackling the pay gap between men and women.

Male workers currently earn 18 per cent more than their female counterparts, a factor which the commission hopes to address while discussing the underlining reasons for such widespread imbalances in pay.

The commission believes employers need to appeal to the female work force by offering similar pay structures for its male and female staff, in order to improve basic skills levels.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt, said: “With more women in work than ever before, and more people working flexibility, workplace culture is changing fast.

“But with women’s pay almost 20 per cent behind men’s, and double that for part-time work, women are rightly demanding a better deal in the workplace.”

Currently, forty five per cent of the UK’s workplace is made up of women and despite the protection of discrimination rights, wages remain low among occupations dominated by female employees.

A recent survey conducted by HR Gateway also suggests that the gender pay gap is particularly apparent within the human resources department of many firms.

The survey shows that of the 236 respondents, 72 per cent agreed that their HR departments were suffering from gender segregation, with as much as a 23 per cent pay gap at the top levels.

One of the reasons why such a gap exists is that many women are denied promotion opportunities to higher levels due to pre-defined roles and family commitments.

The commission will discuss issues such as flexible working rights, childcare provision and low pay in an attempt to remedy such concerns, with recommendations for the Government scheduled for 2005.