Equal Pay: 40 years on it still matters

By Cat Smith / @cateysmith

I went to the cinema last month to see ‘Made in Dagenham’ with a good friend of mine. We both really enjoyed the film but afterwards both turned to look at each other and remarked how little has changed. If you took the film at face value you would be forgiven for thinking men and women were now equal in the workplace and that would be reflected in our pay packets. As it happens both my friend and I are a little more enlightened on these matters and we know that 40 years on from the Equal Pay Act women are still paid an average 16.4% less per hour than men.

Shockingly that is the equivalent of men being paid all the year round, while women work for free from November 2nd. That’s today. But sometimes I feel like no one else is talking about it, apart from the Fawcett Society. They are running Equal Pay Day 2010 today which is a campaign for equal pay for women and men.

The Fawcett Society is calling on the government to take action and end the pay gap between men and women once and for all. Their demands are for legislation to ensure big employers check they’re paying men and women fairly; an extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees and the government to encourage shared parenting through promoting flexible parental leave.

If you, like me, were left inspired after seeing ‘Made in Dagenham’ or are simply and rightly outraged by the continuing inequality in our pay packets, you can take action now. You can sign the petition on the Fawcett Society’s website or even join the Fawcett Society and support them in the great work they are doing on this and many other issues around gender equality. They are also challenging the coalition government’s spending cuts which disproportionately impact on women. Research by the House of Commons Library found that 72% of the savings identified in the budget will come from women’s pockets. In failing to carry out a ‘Gender Equality Impact Assessment’ as required under the Equality Act, they believe the government did not meet its legal requirements. They have filed papers with the High Court seeking a judicial review of the budget.

We still have a long way to go for equality in our pay packets. On Equal Pay Day 2010 you can take action and add your voice to many others calling for this to change.