Conservative proposals on equal pay welcome, but don't go far enough (17/9/07)

Commenting on the Conservatives’ proposals to tackle the pay gap, Dr Katherine Rake, Director of the Fawcett Society, said:

“It is very welcome that after a number of years of silence on this issue, the Conservatives are now speaking out on equal pay. This is a key issue for women in the UK and we are delighted that both major political parties have now recognised the importance of tackling the pay gap between women and men. Today's announcements are an important step towards finally giving equal pay the political priority it deserves.

“We particularly welcome the proposals for compulsory pay audits. However, the causes of the pay gap are complex and today's proposals will only go a short way towards tackling the problem. To finally make the pay gap history, we need to tackle the undervaluation of women’s work and the concentration of women in low paid jobs, and remove the barriers to women pursuing equal pay cases.

“The pay gap means women are paid just 83% of men’s wages – the equivalent of women only being paid until October 30th while men get paid to the end of the year. A greater commitment is needed from all political parties to tackle the pay gap now and stop women being short-changed by thousands of pounds a year.”