§ Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on(a) women's and (b) men's wages of years spent outside the labour market for educational reasons. [21778]
§ Ms HewittThe Women and Equality Unit published a report on the Gender Pay Gap on 5 December. This included an analysis of available research on the impact of qualifications on women's and men's wages and found that the evidence varies across studies. None the less, although it is difficult to identify the precise size of the impact, acquiring qualifications has a positive impact on wages and labour market participation for both men and women. Estimates of the relative impact also vary by qualification. Research commissioned by the skills taskforce suggests that private returns to A-levels are slightly higher for women, while returns to first degrees are broadly equivalent by gender.