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Women & Work Commission

Prime Minister Tony Blair has unveiled the creation of a Women and Work Commission to examine the problem of the gender pay gap, and other issues affecting women's employment.

The Women and Work Commission will look at:

* How men's and women's education and skills affect which jobs they can get;

* Promotion and career progression - the 'glass ceiling';

* Women's experiences in the job market before and after having children; and

* The different experiences of women working full-time and part-time.

The gender pay gap currently stands at 18% for full-time workers, and 40% for part-time workers.

Trade and Industry Secretary (and Cabinet Minister for Women) Patricia Hewitt said:"The gender pay gap has fallen from a high of 30% in the 1970s and the employment prospects of women have rocketed in the past 30 years - but persistent differences in men and women's experience of the labour market remain.

"Making progress on the gender pay gap is a key priority because we have to draw on the skills and talents of all potential workers - men and women. Women have the right to expect a fair deal in the labour market."

Julie Mellor, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), said:"Women working part-time earn an average of 40% less per hour than men working full-time, about the same as when the Equal Pay Act was introduced 30 years ago. Recent high-profile discrimination cases show that women's expectations have changed ? but their pay is stuck in the '70s. This issue needs urgent, concerted action and the EOC is delighted that the Government is committed to reducing the pay gap.

"Tackling the pay gap will require helping parents and carers to balance the demands of family and work, better use of women's skills in the economy and equal pay legislation that is effective in ending pay discrimination. Individual women and their families, business and the wider economy would benefit.

"The EOC looks forward to feeding in the recommendations from our current statutory investigations into why women and men still work in different job areas, discrimination against pregnant women at work and flexible working."

The Women and Work Commission will be chaired by Baroness Margaret Prosser (currently chair of the Women's National Commission, the official, independent, advisory body giving the views of women to the Government) and will begin its work in autumn 2004, reporting to the Prime Minister within 12 months. It will make recommendations on what the Government can do to reduce the pay gap and give women fair opportunities at work.

Full membership of the Commission will be announced in autumn, and will encompass men and women from both sides of the social partnership, education experts, and others from a range of backgrounds.

The Government is already working to tackle the causes of the pay gap in various ways:

* Leading by example - by encouraging large organisations to do equal pay audits and funding the Equal Opportunities Commission to carry out this work. The Government has also led by example, requiring every department to carry out its own equal pay review. Recent EOC figures show that by the end of 2005, 45% of large organisations will have carried out or begun equal pay reviews.

* Tackling low pay - Three quarters of a million women benefit each year from the National Minimum Wage, which has contributed to a 2% drop in the pay gap since 1997.

* Making it easier for women to get equal pay - the Government is simplifying existing procedures for tribunals for women who have suffered discrimination. It has also introduced a questionnaire procedure so that women can find out if they are being paid fairly in line with male colleagues.

* New flexible working rights - so that mothers who want to work after having children can. The right was introduced in April 2003, and since then almost 4 in 10 eligible mothers have requested some form of flexible working arrangement, with employers accepting 8 in 10 requests.

* Providing childcare - since 1997 the National Childcare Strategy has created over 700,000 new childcare places, benefiting over 1.2 million children. The Government is on track to meet its target of creating 1.6 million places in England to help two million children by 2006.

The DTI is also set to review maternity, paternity and flexible working legislation in 2006, taking account of how parents and other workers juggle work and caring responsibilities. Government ministers from various departments have been holding round table discussions with bosses, parents and other employees to talk about how they are affected by the current flexible working rights.