Women in the Welsh workforce are losing out on pay

The salaries website PayFinder.com found the situation is worse than official figures indicate.

The difference in pay increased by nine per cent in Wales, meaning men here are paid an average of 23% more than women. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EPC) in Wales says urgent steps need to be taken to address the problem.

Paying men and women differently because of their sex is illegal.

But the website study says the average pay gap between the sexes across the UK is 24%, compared with an officially quoted figure of 19%.

Growing gap in pay of men over women 2003-4 Wales 23% - 9% increase West Midlands 22% - 8% East of England 26% -7% North West 22% - 6% South East 30% - 6% Yorkshire and Humber 21% - 6% East Midlands 26% - 5% Northern Ireland 17% - 5% Scotland 29% -4% North East 26% -4% South West 27% -3% London 26% -3%

Kate Bennett, director of the Equal Opportunities Commission in Wales, said at current progress the pay gap between men and women was not going to close in our lifetimes.

The problem centred on employers not valuing the jobs which many women do - cleaning in a hospital ward, for example - in the same way as jobs traditionally carried out by men.

Women's salaries were also affected by the fact that they moved in and out of the workplace - to be carers for children and others.

She said they had identified a whole series of steps that can be taken to address the inequalities.

"We're calling on employers to carry out pay reviews looking carefully at their systems to make sure that they are not discriminating against women.

"If they will do this, they will be able to recruit the best people and make their business as effective as possible."

Registrations

PayFinder said it was "incredible" that the gender pay gap still existed at all.

A spokesman for PayFinder, which launched last May and allows workers to compare their salaries on its website, said it now has 125,000 registrations.

"We've always noticed that men fare better in the wage stakes than women, regardless of age, region and sector.

"Now we're able to compare how that divide has changed in the 12 months we have been monitoring salaries."

Judith Prior, from Denbighshire has been a victim of pay discrimination.

With the help of the EOC, she managed to receive parity with her male counterpart through an employment tribunal.

But she said she was not surprised that the pay gap in Wales was increasing.

"A lot of businesses are male dominated still," she said.

"For some reason they seem to see women as 'girlies' - in the typing pool and secretaries."