Gender pay gap will remain due to Government inertia, MPs say

Women currently earn 18% less than men, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), and the Government aren’t helping matters with their stagnating strategy, the cross-party Women and Equalities Committee has said.

The Committee made 17 recommendations to the Government last March, but most of these were rejected last month. These measures, The Guardian reports, included three months paid paternity leave and devising industrial strategies for low-paid jobs carried out by women in industries such care, cleaning and retail.

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The benefits of closing the gap are huge. McKinsey estimated that closing the gender pay gap by 2025 could add an extra £150billion to the economy.

The gap is currently smallest between 20- and 30-year-olds, the IFS also found, meaning Prime Minister Theresa May’s pledge to eradicate the gender pay gap in a generation isn’t without merit.