Women's pay still lags behind

London - Women have made huge advances in the workplace in recent years, but when it comes to the size of their pay packet they…

London - Women have made huge advances in the workplace in recent years, but when it comes to the size of their pay packet they still fall far behind their male counterparts, research by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in Britain revealed yesterday, Rachel Donnelly reports.

More than 25 years after the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act, some women are still sacked if they become pregnant. Women are also paid less for doing the same job as men do and earn up to 20 per cent less than men during their working life, even if they do not have children.

The huge difference in earnings was highlighted by the chairwoman of the EOC, Ms Julie Mellor, who called on the British government and employers to reform equal pay laws and introduce wage reviews to close the pay gap.