July 25, 2007...3:49 pm
45 Years To UK Sex Equality?
The equal opportunities commission is to be abolished in October. It will be absorbed into the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, a catch-all anti discrimination body to be chaired by the former chairman of the commission for racial equality, Trevor Phillips.
The Failures…
In an attempt to sum up the current state of play and influence the new body the EOC has stated that it may take at least another 45 years before some aspects of gender influenced pay and work conditions are equalised.
- 45 years before women’s pension amounts equal those of men. Currently they come out of work with 40% less.
- The pay gap- women earn 38% less per hour than men in part time positions.
- The pay gap-Women earn 17% less per hour than men in full time positions.
- The male health gap- men are leaving themselves disadvantaged in that they are less likely to consult a doctor over health worries.
- 45% of pregnant women experience ‘tangible discrimination’.
- Women spend 12% more time looking after children than men
- The chores gap has worsened with men doing less of the housework than they ever have.
- 13% of young men are the victims of violent crime though 5 times as man women may feel unsafe when walking alone in their area late at night with 7% of women being the victims of violent crime.
Jenny Watson, the EOC’s chairwoman is quoted as saying:
“Today, most women work, many men no longer define themselves as breadwinners and both sexes often struggle to find the time they need to care for others in their lives. Despite many advances, Britain’s institutions have not caught up with these changes.
“A country that channels women into low-paid work, fails to adequately support families and forces people who want to work flexibly to trade down in jobs pays a high price in terms of child poverty, family breakdown and low productivity. This is a challenge that Gordon Brown’s new government urgently needs to address.”
Discrimination against anti gender discrimination?
The outgoing commission fears that gender equality rights may soon be downplayed whilst discrimination against race, age and disability are tackled.
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