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Britain to eliminate gender pay gap within a generation

Xinhua, July 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

The gender pay gap in British industry is the lowest ever, but on average women still earn only 80 pence (1.24 U.S. dollars) for every one pound (1.55 U.S. dollars) earned by men, Britain's Treasury said Tuesday.

To combat this inequality, Prime Minister David Cameron published an article in the London Times newspaper announcing that as from 2016, British companies employing 250 or more workers would have to publish figures showing the difference between the average pay of male and female employees.

Secretary of State for Education, and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan said Tuesday the government was committed to eliminating the gender pay gap in a generation.

"While I am proud of the progress made, there can be no room for complacency when it comes to securing equality for women," said Morgan.

Cameron said the new national living wage legislation announced last week would primarily help women, who tend to be in lower paid jobs, helping to close the gender pay gap.

"Transparency, skills, representation, affordable childcare -- these things can end the gender pay gap in a generation," said Cameron.

Secretary Morgan added: "To achieve gender equality we need to continue to inspire young women and girls so that they can compete with the best in the world for the top jobs and see their hard work will pay off."

A Treasury analysis of the impact of the government's new national living wage, unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne in last week's budget shows 65 percent of winners are expected to be women.

The plan is to introduce the new gender audit in the first half of next year.

In 2011, a target was set for women to make up 25 percent of the membership of FTSE 100 company boards. That target has been reached and there are now no all-male boards left, compared to 2011.

The politician who led that boardroom gender initiative, Harvard-educated Lord Mervyn Davies, will now make a series of recommendations on how businesses can continue to improve gender diversity. Endit