THE CURRENT POSITION OF WOMEN AND WORK (1) Women’s Pay Levels : It is commonplace to point out and bemoan the fact that the gap between women’s pay levels and those of men has not declined rapidly since the Equal Pay Act 1970 (which actually came into force in 1975). To ensure that like is compared with like, the usual comparison is of hourly pay rates. When that is done, it is seen that in the early

doi:10.4324/9781843145585-13

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THE CURRENT POSITION OF WOMEN AND WORK (1) Women’s Pay Levels

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ABSTRACT

The national minimum wage was set at £3.60 per hour upon introduction, which the government calculated would benefit 1.4 million women, 1.3 million part-time workers, 110,000 homeworkers, 175,000 working lone parents, and 130,000 workers.24

Of course, these figures assume 100% compliance with the legislation. The minimum wage is now set at £4.50,25 and due to rise to £4.85 on 1 October 2004.26