MPs in call to close gender pay gap

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The Business and Enterprise Select Committee said ministers should do more to implement recommendations from a commission it set up to make sure women were not paid less than men for the same jobs.

Mandatory pay audits should now be considered to close the gender pay gap of around 17% for full time workers and 40% for part-timers.

One of the main reasons for the persistence of the difference in pay was the dearth of quality part-time jobs, said the committee, which called on the Government to increase spending on measures to tackle the problem.

Ministers were also urged to consider extending the right to ask for flexible working arrangements and for higher priority to be given on careers advice and work experience.

Judy Mallaber, Labour MP for Amber Valley, who led the inquiry, said: "The gender pay gap persists despite 30 years of equal pay legislation, largely due to occupational segregation.

"This is not only unfair to women but also limits the pool of recruits available to employers at a time when harnessing and extending the skills of all is increasingly vital for the health of the economy.

"To tackle this will require a culture change among employers, unions, in educational institutions and the whole of society.

"We need a determined effort on all fronts if we are to crack the worryingly stubborn pay gap and inequality in employment.

"The committee was concerned at the lack of a timetable and committed funding in the government's initial response to the Women and Work Commission report."