A fair deal?

80% of workers never ask colleagues how much they earn 20% of employees have no idea how much other staff in the same company are paid Young people were "shocked" to realise that a pay gap opens up by the age of 20 Britain came 10th out of 15 European countries for its equal pay record

Despite a 100% increase in the number of equal pay cases taken to employment tribunals since 1995, the gap in pay between men and women narrowed by just 1% in 1999, said EOC chairwoman Julie Mellor.

Employers' confidence was "misplaced" and many were doing "little or nothing" to ensure women workers are paid the same rates as men, according to the research.

"We need a concerted effort by all employers in all sectors to speed up the pace of change," she said.

"This research shows that although some employers are taking steps to achieve gender equality in pay, many others are not doing enough and some are not doing anything at all."

The research split employers into four categories:

• Committed - who have taken steps to ensure their pay systems are unbiased, including the National Health Service, police and local authorities.

• Concerned - who realise they have not done enough to ensure their pay systems are unbiased.

• Contradictory - who have improved their pay systems without taking the gender of employees into account.

• Complacent - who do not believe pay inequality is a problem.

The survey showed that employers in the manufacturing industry were the most complacent about equal pay.

The pay gap is widest in craft and related occupations and lowest in secretarial work.

The EOC will present the government with its recommendations for closing the gap early in 2001.