Society welcome for gender pay publicity law

Proposed legislation that will require large employers to publish what they pay their male and female staff has been welcomed by the Law Society of Scotland.

A late amendment to the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, which has now passed its third reading before the House of Lords, will require businesses employing more than 250 people to publish the average difference between male and female pay. 

Lords amendments have still to be approved by the House of Commons before the bill is finally passed, but the Liberal Democrats have secured Government support for the move. If the clause remains in the bill, the Secretary of State will then have 12 months in which to make regulations to implement the provision.

Janet Hood, the Law Society of Scotland’s Equality & Diversity Committee convener said: “This is a very welcome development. Equal pay laws were introduced in 1970, but nearly half a century later we still see women earning less than men, in some cases significantly less."

Research by the Society shows there is a still a large pay gap in the legal profession, with a 42% difference at its highest. Ms Hood added: "With increasing numbers of women entering the legal profession year on year, it is essential that we do what we can to ensure that opportunities remain for those who want to progress in their careers and that disparity in pay becomes a thing of the past.”

The Society has recently begun a renewed push to achieve equal pay in the profession, with a revised equality strategy and 10 equality standards now published on its website.