§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Minister for Women what the difference in pay was between(a) full-time and (b) part-time male and female workers in each year since 1997. [152065]
§ Ms HewittThe following table shows(a) the full-time hourly pay gap and (b) the part-time hourly pay gap, measured as the difference in hourly pay between women working part time and men working full time since 1997.
Percentage Full-time pay gap Part-time pay gap Mean Median Mean 1997 19.8 16.2 42 1998 20.0 16.2 43 1999 19.2 15.4 42 2000 18.9 15.0 40 2001 18.5 14.5 41 2002 19.0 14.3 41 2003 18.0 12.9 40 The Government are taking steps to address the underlying causes of the full-time and part-time gender pay gap. The part-time pay gap, which closed by two full percentage points over the period 1997 to 2003, is significantly bigger than the full-time pay gap.
To some extent this reflects the occupations that part-time work has historically been concentrated in. The Government are seeking to encourage alternative ways of working for both women and men through initiatives such as the Work-Life Balance campaign, and legislation such as the new law for working parents which enables parents with children under six or disabled children under 18 to request to work flexibly, whilst placing a duty on employers to seriously consider such requests.