Randerson Backs Women's No Pay Day

12.05.37pm GMT Tue 30th Oct 2007

Each year the pay gap between men and women effectively means that women are only paid for their work up to 30 October.

· Women working full-time earn on average 17% less an hour than men working full time. On the average salary of £23,600, that means around £4,000 less a year.

· It's equivalent to men getting paid all year and women working for free from October 30th

· Women working part-time earn on average 36% less an hour than men working full-time.

· At the current rate of change it will be at least 80 years before the full-time pay gap close and 140 years for the part-time gap.

· Out of the 27 European Union countries, the UK has the biggest pay gap.

Cardiff Central Welsh Lib Dem AM Jenny Randerson said "Some of the gap is down to differences in the valuation of the types of jobs that women take on but around 40% is pure discrimination. Lack of flexible working conditions is also to blame.

"Women have a lot to offer all areas of work but there are numerous barriers in place to prevent them from achieving the same as an equally skilled man.

"The government need to take this problem more seriously or it will be a very long time until women experience equality. Current pay laws are not working."

Notes:

The Fawcett Society are running events to raise awareness of Women's No Pay Day today. There is more information on their website www.fawcettsociety.org.uk You can also sign an online petition to Gordon Brown at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/paygap/