The Gender Pay Gap is Shrinking, but not for the Scots

The ONS says that the pay gap is now 12.2 per cent in England and Wales, a drop of 0.4% from 2008, for full-time employees.

However, the news isn't so good for private sector workers. Full-time female employees working there are paid an average of 20.8 per cent less than men, as opposed to a disparity of just over 10 per cent in the public sector.

Dianah Worman, diversity adviser at the CIPD said that it was an uphill struggle to change the attitude of employerswhen it came to equal pay.

Worryingly, only 20% of employers in the private sector actually gauge their gender pay gap according to a survey by the CIPD.

Ingrid Waterfield, from KPMG, added that equal pay audits help to place a tangible measure on the achievement of fairness, and said that companies can have a positive impact on employee engagement if they adopt a fair approach to reward and recognition.

There is also a gender disparity when it comes to training. New research from DDI, a consultancy firm, showed that 28 per cent more men than women received first level management specialist training and that percentage rises to 50 per cent at the executive level.

Although the gap is decreasing in England and Wales, the same can't be said for Scotland where the gap has widened by 0.4% to 18%. In Aberdeen the gap remains at a staggering 24.6%.

Westminster Equality Minister, Harriet Harman was quick to criticise the Scots but she remains hopeful that her Equality Bill will help women to progress further in the work place. That sentiment is shared by Ceri Goddard, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society who said that the Government's Equality Bill, which aims to increase transparency around pay, is vitally important. This bill is a perfect opportunity to introduce measures that prevent pay discrimination and enable women to seek redress justice when it happens. She also pointed out that nearly 40 years ago, women were promised equality when the Equal Pay Act was passed.

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Image: Mind the Gap by Andy Wilkes