From the BBC:
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has been criticised by an official watchdog for exaggerating the pay gap between men and women.
UK Statistics Authority chief Sir Michael Scholar said Ms Harman's use of figures was potentially misleading. She had said women were on average paid 23% less per hour than men but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the figure was actually 12.8%.
Good stuff, as we all know, it isn't really a "gender pay gap", it's a "mothers earn less because they are more likely to have had career breaks and are more likely to work part-time gap", although it's nice to hear it said.
As I may have mentioned before, the Office for National Statistics is still busily getting revenge for the forced relocation to Wales, a country in which "schoolchildren ... must study Welsh up to the age of 16" (Wiki) which seems a bit of a waste of time.
Thanks to Tim Almond for the tip-off.
Grand theft Labour
1 hour ago
13 comments:
They do 'kick off' occasionally bless 'em.
Good. It's good to have some stats to back up what we know.
Doesn't detract from the fact that it still exists.
A problem I had to deal with when working recently within Stirling Council.
I am detesting this damn government for making real issues become a place for ominous latents to mock, making justifed arguments futile.
And Gregg you are the reason we kick off....and bless us we are are going to win...
Christ now i'm talking like a militant feminist....worrying times indeed.
O, there IS no significant gender pay gap if you compare men with childless women! (or it is immeasurably small once you do all the relevant adjustments).
The gap is between mothers & everybody else! Which is easily fixed by scrapping Child Tax Credits and doubling Child Benefit instead.
yup, Scholar and Dunnell, fine chaps, we need them at this hour
Children are a choice, work OR children.
Women who try both are harming themselves and their families.
Fix the tax system so one person working can support two people (i.e. get rid of taxes on income and spending).
Kids learning Welsh is less of a waste of time than you might think.
It serves them very well later on in life if they want to be employed in the public sector in Wales where Welsh-speaking cadidates are looked upon favourably.
Do you see what they've done there?
But Welsh is much older than sixteen - it goes back to the Dark Ages.
Hey MW...can you cite that information you have please on gender pay gap? Specifically to do with your comment 'mothers earn less because they are more likely to have had career breaks and are more likely to work part-time gap'
I'm not armed wih all the stats and from what I've been reading, ASHE isn't avaialble until November this year. For the complete picture after Harmans idiocy. So the 12.8% is from 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/nmq4cr
From what I gather part time work isn't included in the final percentage nor is the gap women take in work. And I'm not sure how the break women take in employment is measurable? Unless your thinking the reduction of women generally in the work place because of pregnancy.
That aside, the 12.8% is 'ONS’s headline estimate of the gender pay gap based on the hourly earnings of full-time employees only'
And yes there are other measures but this is not being discussed.
It may be small but it has increased since 2007. I'm merely questioning why?
As for working tax credits and child tax credits and Child benefit, I know when I was on a low wage how beneficial it was as I am a working mother. And merely doubling child benefit would give you a significant decrease.
But these payments decrease the more you earn, it's means tested. But I am all up for reform of the benefits system which is another discussion all together.
To AntiCitizenOne hmmm? love people like you 'Children are a choice, work OR children' 'Women who try both are harming themselves and their families'
*sigh*
What happens when your partner runs off with the baby sitter? What happens if your husband dies and leaves you no equity?
Children are a choice...but in some cases there is no choice but to work. My daughter does not suffer because of my partner and his libido.
I am the Mother and the Father and because of the gender issues with employment...I am becoming as educated as I can so I can move into £70/80 000 wage.
Choice!....very decadent.
O, try this, or think about yourself and your friends and people you know, with and without children. You know that what I say is true.
I have no axe to grind here, yes of course my wife earns less than she would if she hadn't had children and didn't work part time, but so what? If the government by magic forced my employer to pay me less and force her employer to pay her more, would we be better off? Well, obviously not, so what's the point?
You mean that in Wales they are taught *something* in school?
MW hmmm? I'm going to wait for the report in November. I obviously respect your opinion, though evidence helps me form my own.
And no I have no resolve at present, nor does this detestable Government.
Bloody good link though thanks.
O, if you think IEA figures are suspect, then try this, from the ONS.
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