Finally we bring you some news of a positive step towards gender equality in the workplace.
Today the Government’s new gender pay initiative comes into force meaning that any company with more than 250 employees will have to publish their gender pay gaps figures within the next year.
For the first time, public, private and voluntary sector firms are now all required by law to disclose average salaries for men and women, including any bonuses. The information will be made publicly available, and companies now have a year to publish their data.
The legislation will apply to around half of the UK workforce and 9,000 companies and 15 million employees will be affected.
The new initiative hopes that increased transparency will encourage companies to address their gender pay gap issues and reduce workplace discrimination. Currently the gender pay gap stands at 18.1% for all workers, and 9.4% for full-time staff.
In a statement, Women and Equalities minister Justine Greening said that ‘helping women to reach their full potential isn't only the right thing to do, it makes good economic sense’.
READ MORE: We Will Have To Wait 24 Years For The Gender Pay Gap To Close