This year, "Equal Pay Day" conspicuously fell
on 10 November 2016. In case you missed it (amidst the hullabaloo
of a shock US election result perhaps) Equal Pay Day is the day
that women could effectively work for free until the end of the
year as a consequence of earning 13.9% less on average than
men.
Issue
In 2015, the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, declared that
the government would "end the gender pay gap in a
generation". This announcement is nothing but ambitious. On
current trends, it will take another 62 years to eradicate. The
disparity in pay between men and women has a number of causes,
however, it is generally accepted that childcare responsibilities
and
discrimination in the workplace due to pregnancy or maternity
leave are among the most prevalent. Women often take steps to put
their careers on hold to look after children or search for
part-time work. Women also face challenges when attempting to
return to work after giving birth, either by
