Pay equality, or the push toward equal pay, has ended, the Equality and human Rights Commission (EHRC) said in a report published this month. It said in a press statement outlining the report that work by businesses and government in the United Kingdom to end the gender pay gap “appears to be grinding to a halt.” The report titled “How fair is Britain?” highlights through detailed evidence discrimination and disadvantage facing women in the UK. The report was published to mark the 40th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act and said that “long-standing inequalities such as equal pay between men and women have not yet been resolved.” There is, however, a new Equality Act that was recently passed by Britain and many activists and advocates are hopeful for its success. According to the EHRC's figures, the average pay gap between the sexes in 2009 was 16.4 percent, while women over 40 years earn 27 percent less than their male counterparts. However, the report did find that in some areas of business the gender divide is lessening, most notably in managerial and professional roles, “although women are more likely to be employed in the public sector (40 percent of women compared to 15 percent of men).” BM
