Sandra Gidley

Liberal Democrats | Romsey

Government Manipulation Can’t Disguise Pay Gap - Gidley

Commenting on the publication of the Fawcett Society’s report into equal pay, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women, Sandra Gidley MP said:

"In the 21st century every woman should expect to receive the same salary as male colleagues with identical responsibilities.

“The Fawcett Society has accused the Government of failing to address the root causes of the problems which mean that men’s income is almost twice that of women’s. When it comes to pensions the situation is even worse, with just 13 per cent of women pensioners entitled to the full basic state pension, compared to 92 per cent of men.

“However, the Government have found one way to reduce the gender pay gap – by fiddling the figures.

“By using the median figure, which is the mid point of a sample rather than the average (the mean) preferred by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Fawcett Society, the Government have managed to knock almost four percentage points off the gender pay gap.

“This cynical manipulation of the figures highlights the fact that the Government have completely failed in their bid to reduce the pay gap and have resorted to desperate means to try and claim success.”