Workplaces, institutions and services that are designed for an age when women stayed at home is fuelling the equality gap between the genders.

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has warned that closing the gap between men and women will take generations if things continue as they are.

Twenty-two indicators have been flagged by the EOC as stark examples of how much work is still to be done, including:

• The “power gap” for women in Parliament will take almost 200 years to close and it will take up to 65 years to have a more equitable balance of women at the top of FTSE 100 companies.




• The “pensions gap” will take 45 years to equalise: retired women’s income is currently 40 per cent less than men’s.




• The “part-time pay gap” will take 25 years to close and the “full-time pay gap” 20 years. Women working part-time earn 38 per cent less per hour than men working full-time. Full-time female employees earn 17 per cent less per hour than men.




• The “flexible working gap” is unlikely ever to change unless further action is taken. Even though half of working men say they would like to work more flexibly, currently women are much more likely than men (63 per cent more likely) to work flexibly.




• The “health gap” is also likely never to close, with men aged 16-44 almost half (47 per cent) as likely as women to consult their GP, which can result in later diagnosis.




• The “safety gap” for women is actually getting worse. They’re five times as likely as men to feel unsafe walking alone in their area after dark. Meanwhile, young men are almost twice as likely as young women (80 per cent more likely) to be victims of violent crime, and it could take up to 20 years for rates to drop to levels comparable with women’s.




• At home, the “chores gap” – the difference in the amount of time women and men spend doing housework per day – will likewise also never close, with women still spending 78 per cent more time than men doing housework.

Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said: “Despite the many advances over recent years, Britain’s institutions have not caught up with these changes. Inequality is affecting every part of our lives, from women who fear for their safety at night to the many men who find it hard to get a GP’s appointment, affecting their long term health. Failure to act will have consequences for the social and financial health of countless individuals, as well as the nation as a whole.

“A country that channels women into low paid work, fails to adequately support families and forces people who want to work flexibly to trade down in jobs, pays a high price in terms of child poverty, family breakdown and low productivity. This is a challenge that Gordon Brown’s new government urgently needs to address.”