Government prepares equal pay laws
Women should have their right to equal pay strengthened by new laws, minister for equality Harriet Harman said today.The government is set to beef up the legislation in its upcoming Equalities Bill, which puts closing the gender pay gap at high priority.Under the terms of the Bill, age discrimination is also set to be tackled, with the upper age limits currently imposed by many insurers outlawed.Speaking on GMTV today, Ms Harman said that women who work part time could still expect to earn 40 per cent less than their male equivalents - despite existing anti-discrimination laws."This is [either] because women are not up to the job or else there is discrimination against them. You can't challenge discrimination when it's kept swept under the carpet," she said. "I think there's a lot of resentment at the unfairness against women. They are not being given the facts."
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