Jobs for the girls

Despite thirty years of equal pay legislation, the gender pay gap remains, although it is narrowing. It is hard to eliminate, because men and women tend to work in different occupations and traditional female occupations tend to be lower paid and lower valued than men's. But such occupational segregation limits the pool of recruits available to employers. In its 2005 report, the Women and Work Commission (http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/publications/women_work_5threp.pdf) made 40 recommendations to tackle job segregation and the gender pay gap and this report seeks to examine what action has been taken to implement those recommendations and to identify any further steps needed. The report finds: there are insufficient training opportunities for women in non-traditional occupations and, until recently, little advice available for older women who want to change their work direction or who return after a break; the announced extension in apprenticeships is welcome but must not just follow traditional occupational breakdowns; it is important to address the undervaluation of 'traditional' women's jobs; the dearth of quality part-time jobs is a waste of the experience and skills of many older women and one of the main reasons for the persistence of the gender pay gap. The extension to the private sector of the gender equality duty imposed on the public sector from April 2007 could encourage greater transparency and positive action, but it is too still early to judge the success of this duty. It is clearly the case that the gender pay gap remains worryingly stubborn. The Committee recommends that if the pay gap continues to decline only slowly, the Government should look at further measures such as the extension of the gender equality duty and consider making pay audits mandatory.