An influential parliamentary committee has published a report that considers new measures to address the gender pay gap, suggestions including a serious consideration of an increase in the rates of paternity pay and three months of non-transferable paternity leave.
The Gender Pay Gap report, by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, is an attempt to address the issues causing gender pay disparity and recommend government action in the area. It said there was currently a “lack of effective government policy” in many areas that contribute to the gap, with the flagship policy of shared parental leave having “made little difference” to date.
The report recommended that three months of parental leave be automatically granted to second parents on top of current parental leave benefits, and that payment of paternity leave increase to 90 percent of salary, with the three months non-transferable paternity leave paid at 90 percent for the first four weeks.
It also suggested that the government investigate the benefits of offering all forms of parental leave on a part-time basis.
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of Working Families, said:
“The ‘motherhood penalty’ is a price that women continue to pay at work and at home. The answer lies with fathers. A decent period of paid paternity leave would allow more fathers to care for their young children – and push this out of the domain of ‘women’s work’ for good.
“The option to take parental leave part-time would make it a realistic opportunity for many low-paid fathers, who would otherwise find it impossible to make ends meet on statutory pay alone.”
In addition to greater paternity leave, the report said the key to addressing the gender pay gap was flexible working. It called on the government to make all jobs flexible from the outset unless there was a “strong and continuing business case for them not to be”.
The report said that flexible working is not just limited to part-time work, but also to job shares, late starts, early finishes, term-time working and working from home.
The report also recommended establishing strategies for low-paid sectors with large numbers of female employees to improve productivity and pay levels; the creation of a scheme to help women return to employment after time out of the labour market; and the introduction of carers’ leave of six weeks to allow employees facing short-term care issues to take time out of work without risking their jobs.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
