Awareness of gender pay gap ‘should be raised’

Posted 03/11/2009

The only way to tackle discrimination in the workplace that arises from the gender pay gap is by raising awareness and discussing it openly, it has been claimed.

According to women’s training service provider Everywoman, the gender pay gap is still a major problem in the UK.

The first step female workers should take before turning to an employment law solicitor is to raise the issue with their company’s human resources department.

Everywoman co-founder Maxine Benson explained: “I don’t think you should be fearful of bringing things up … women need to have the confidence to ask to be paid what they are worth in line with their male colleagues.”

If they are not being paid an equivalent salary to male colleagues, she added, women need to make sure they bring the issue of pay discrimination up.

This comes after a poll conducted by the Fawcett Society recently revealed that 85 per cent of the public support mandatory pay audits in order to combat discrimination in the workplace related to the gender pay gap.