THE British gender pay gap “stubbornly” refuses to go away despite women’s academic success outstripping men’s, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) warns today. 

 

Female graduates take home between £15,000 and just under £24,000, while their male counterparts are more likely to be on starting salaries of more than £24,000, said the commission.

 

EHCR commissioner Laura Carstensen said: “In today’s world women should not face these kinds of injustices, especially when data shows time after time girls and women are outperforming males at every stage in education.

 

“Forty-five years after the Equal Pay Act was brought in to herald an end to gender pay inequality, our research provides clear evidence that the old economic and societal barriers are still prevalent for working women and overshadowing the prospects of our girls and young women yet to enter the workplace.

 

“We cannot continue to accept that a woman embarking upon her working life can expect to be paid less because of her sex.

 

“This unfairness won’t damage her alone but also those dependent on her and ultimately the enterprises and economy of this country which will fail to harness and reward all of our best talent.”

 

Women also continue to face pregnancy discrimination, including unfair dismissal, negative comments and verbal harassment, said the report.

 

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We share the EHRC’s concerns, which is precisely why eliminating the gender pay gap is a key priority for this government.

 

“While we have made good progress, this government is going further than ever before to close the gap once and for all — including plans to force all larger employers to publish gender pay gap information.”