One in Five UK Employers pay women less

According to a report in today's Guardian:

Almost one in five of the country's biggest employers are breaking the law by paying women significantly lower wages than their male colleagues, according to research by the Equal Opportunities Commission. A study by the commission of 870 employers, all of whom have reviewed their pay structures to check if they are paying equally, found that 16% are unlawfully discriminating against their female workers by paying them less than men to do the same job.

The EOC said that the true proportion was likely to be higher as these organisations were among the more enlightened employers, having voluntarily undertaken pay reviews. Jenny Watson, chair of the commission, told the Guardian: "It's bad enough that 16% have found a pay gap that could be the subject of legal challenge following their equal pay review - but even these figures mask the true extent of the problem".

I once worked for an employer who I suspected of under paying employees based on their gender, so this hardly surprises me. People who claim that the U.S. figures (.79 for each dollar a man earns) are bogus should consider this study seriously.