The
gap in pay for men and women in Britain is due to women leaving work to have
children, a new study claims.
Women
who take time off to have their family earn 15 per cent less on average when
they return to their jobs, according to research carried out at Manchester
University.
The
survey of 10,000 people finds that mothers suffer a two per cent drop in salary
for each year they are not working.
Wendy
Owen, lecturer in socio-economic research at the University of Manchester urged
the Government to offer extra training for women who interrupt their careers to
have a family.
The
research found women earn less than £7.50 an hour compared with the men’s
average of £10.27 per hour – a difference of over 25 per cent. The problem is
exacerbated by a significant number of women who work part-time, the report
says.
