Government backs gender gap pay audits

The pay gap in the UK is one of the worst in Europe, according to figures from Eurostat.

• Britain was the fifth worst in Europe with a 19.7% gap in 2013
• This is behind Slovenia who had the lowest at 3.1%
• The EU average has been around 16% since 2010
• Ireland has on average a significantly lower rate of 14.4% in 2012
• Meanwhile, Estonia is the worst for equal pay at 28.25%

The Prime Minister has said he does not want to wait another generation to end the "scandal" of gender inequality in the workplace.

Writing on his Facebook page, David Cameron said as well as introducing gender pay audits and affordable childcare "we must widen girls' horizons to show there are no no-go professions".

He added: "In past centuries, the Brontë sisters published their novels under men’s names; Marie Curie released her research as her husband; Ada Lovelace made great leaps as the first computer programmer but watched her male colleague get the credit.

"When my daughters Nancy and Florence start work, I want them to look back at the gender pay gap in the same way we look back at women not voting and not working — as something outdated and wrong that we overcame together."

The Minister for Women and Equalities has said the gender pay gap is greatest for women aged between 40 and in their Sixties.

Nicky Morgan told Good Morning Britain the gap was at an all-time low but "more needs to be done".

It comes as the Prime Minister announced all companies with more than 250 employees will have to publish the average pay of male and female employees.