The Equal Opportunities Commission believes the Government needs to go
beyond the recommendations in the Kingsmill Review of Women’s Employment and
Pay if the gender pay gap is to be addressed.
EOC chairwoman Julie Mellor said that Denise Kingsmill’s consultation
document, which is due to be considered by the Government, does not focus
enough attention on the fact that women are more likely to work in sectors
characterised by low pay.
"The review rightly emphasises the need to ensure women do not face
barriers to promotion, but the Government also needs to address the fact that
women and men are concentrated in different kinds of work and that those
dominated by women tend to be low paid," said Mellor.
Mellor believes the national shortage of childcare is also a major obstacle
to equality and needs to be tackled.
The EOC opposes Kingsmill’s proposal to establish a new organisation to
challenge unequal pay.
Mellor would rather see a renewed emphasis on the role existing
organisations, such as the CIPD, the CBI, Acas and unions, play in closing the
pay gap.
She said, "It is important we build on the work many of these bodies
are already doing rather than reinventing the wheel."
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