Employers fail to tackle pay equality

Only around one third of employers have checked to see whether their pay systems discriminate against women, although the vast majority (93%) believe their pay systems to be fair. This shows a high degree of complacency, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) which carried out the research. EOC chair Julie Mellor, commenting on the research findings, said: "Many employers are simply burying their heads in the sand".

Some employers are also breaking the law by excluding part-time workers from access to occupational pension schemes, with the research showing that 12% of part timers are excluded.

The EOC's analysis of pay practices in 301 organisations employing over 200 staff, finds women are also being denied access to bonuses or performance-related pay in 13% of organisations.

Manufacturing employers have done little to ensure gender equality, despite 98% of employers in this sector believing that their systems were fair. The report puts this down to the high levels of job segregation in manufacturing, with respondents believing that little could be done to achieve equal pay because women and men work in different jobs.

In addition, male-dominated professional and technical and skilled manual jobs are thought by human resources managers to have "greater intrinsic value" than female-dominated administrative and support jobs.

The EOC has produced a Code of Practice on Equal Pay that gives advice on ensuring that pay systems do not discriminate against women, but the survey shows that only one in five employers have used it.

Racism persists in labour market