Women's pay 'key to child poverty'

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Research by the TUC, the End Child Poverty coalition and the Fawcett Society found that women's low pay had "huge implications" for children's living standards.

The briefing revealed that almost a third of working women earn less than £100 a week, compared to just one in seven men.

Mothers in Britain are more likely to be poor than anywhere else in Europe and from the moment they conceive a child, women face financial penalties, said the report. Thousands lose their jobs and many more face disadvantage and fewer opportunities in the workplace, it was found.

Women become "trapped" in part-time, low-paid jobs after having a child, and are more likely to be in insecure jobs as temps or homeworkers, where they have fewer employment rights.

Women are also more likely to work in poorly-paid part-time jobs, where the gender pay gap is wider, according to the study.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The TUC's Commission on Vulnerable Employment recently found that some of the country's most vulnerable workers are women - and having a child puts a woman at an even greater risk of being poor.

"As 40% of households are now headed by single mothers, this has concerning implications for tackling child poverty.

"The Government has promised to end child poverty by 2020, but the number of children in poverty has risen over the last two years. It's vital the Government tackles low pay and takes action to stop discrimination against mothers now."

A national demonstration against child poverty will be held in October.