Equality ‘gaps’ highlighted in final report from the EOC

In October 2007, the work and remit of the Equal Opportunities Commission will pass to the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). The EOC has produced a final report on equal opportunities, as a swan song to see how far the country has come in the 30 years of its existence, and to highlight how far is still left to go.

‘Completing the Revolution’ sets out the most comprehensive ever measure of gender equality in Britain, and looks at all aspects of society to see how many ‘gaps’ there are still between the sexes.

The "power gap" for women in Parliament will take almost 200 years to close and it will take up to 65 years to have a more equitable balance of women at the top of FTSE 100 companies.

The "pensions gap" will take 45 years to equalise: retired women’s income is currently 40% less than men's.

The "part-time pay gap" will take 25 years to close and the "full time pay gap" 20 years. Women working part-time earn 38% less per hour than men working full time. Full time female employees earn 17% less per hour than men.

The "flexible working gap" is unlikely ever to change unless further action is taken. Even though half of working men say they would like to work more flexibly, currently women are much more likely than men (63% more likely) to work flexibly.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said:

“These startling indicators suggest that the reality of far too many men’s and women’s lives is out of step with their aspirations. We're living in the midst of an unfinished social revolution. Today, most women work, many men no longer define themselves as breadwinners and both sexes often struggle to find the time they need to care for others in their lives.

"Despite the many advances over recent years, Britain's institutions have not caught up with these changes. Inequality is affecting every part of our lives, from women who fear for their safety at night to the many men who find it hard to get a GP's appointment, affecting their long term health. Failure to act will have consequences for the social and financial health of countless individuals, as well as the nation as a whole. A country that channels women into low paid work, fails to adequately support families and forces people who want to work flexibly to trade down in jobs pays a high price in terms of child poverty, family breakdown and low productivity. This is a challenge that Gordon Brown’s new government urgently needs to address.

"At the current pace of change, it will take generations for the unfinished revolution to be completed and for equality for women and men to be achieved. Britain can not wait this long. That's why the EOC is today launching a campaign for concrete change in five key areas for women and men over the next ten years, transforming our workplaces, services and communities.”

To coincide with the publication of the report, the EOC has launched its ‘Gender Agenda’ campaign, which aims to allocate areas of priority action, which should deliver equality for both women and men, within ten years:

• Closing the income gap between men and women
• Giving better support to families
• Modernising public services so they meet men and women’s needs
• Providing equal access to justice and safety
• Sharing power equally between men and women

“Completing the Revolution” includes a gender equality index looking at 22 leading indicators of sex equality across five categories, including income, family, policy and services, justice and safety, and power. Where possible, the EOC has projected the number of years to reach equality for each category. The trends and projections are based on the latest statistics plus annual data for the previous five years. The report is intended to serve as a benchmark on this important agenda, against which future progress can be measured after the EOC closes its doors at the end of September.