THE pay gap between women working part-time and men working full-time has not narrowed in 25 years, the Equal Opportunities Commission said.
Women in part-time jobs earn on average 40 per cent an hour less than men doing a full 40-hour week, said commission chief executive Caroline Slocock. She said the discrepancy was largely due to employers' refusal to offer flexible hours in higher-paid posts.
Ms Slocock told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this meant women who wanted to spend time at home with their children found themselves forced into jobs which did not utilise their talents, resulting in a detrimental knock-on effect on business and the economy.
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