Government 'committed to closing the pay gap'

The government is focusing on reducing the gender pay gap, a spokesperson for the Government Equalities Office has said.

According to the official representative, narrowing the gap between the wages of men and women is a priority for the government, which is looking at a number of options to achieve this aim.

In the 1990s, 50 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men claimed that family life would not suffer if a woman went to work.

This figure has now fallen to 46 per cent of women and 42 per cent of men, said the Cambridge University team that carried out the research.

Government proposals include introducing the right for fathers to take up to six months of paid maternity leave, in news that may be relevant to people trying to combine a packaging sales job with a family.

"The government has done a lot to help parents (not just mothers) balance the often conflicting demands of work and family life, such as introducing the right to request flexible working, increasing maternity leave and pay and improving the availability of childcare," the representative said.

Aaron Wallis are a packaging sales recruitment specialist. For sales jobs in either packaging consumables or packaging equipment visit www.aaronwallis.co.uk.

Filed: 13-08-2008