EQUAL PAY DAY

That this House welcomes the Fawcett Society's Equal Pay Day, held on 9 November 2015; believes that many women are effectively working the remainder of this year for free due to the gender pay gap, currently at 14.2 per cent; acknowledges the gender pay gap is at nearly 55 per cent in the two per cent of earners; further welcomes the fact that Scotland has experienced a substantially lower level of gender inequality, but recognises further work is necessary to achieve parity; perceives that the very little progress made in closing the salary gap between men and women means it will take 54 years to reach parity at current rates; calls on the Government to commit to the Prime Minister's promise to end the gender pay gap in a generation; and recommends that the Government follows the advice of the TUC to introduce pay transparency, equal pay audits, and a requirement for companies to tackle gender inequality.