Gender pay divide in Britain 'costing country'

LONDON - The pay gap between men and women costs the British economy up to £23 billion ($60.8 billion) a year in lost productivity and wasted talent, claims a Government-ordered inquiry.

The Women and Work Commission identifies the main problems as job segregation between the sexes, a failure to promote part-timers to senior posts and narrow career horizons for girls, even though they outperform boys academically.

The report, released yesterday, concludes: "The gender pay gap is not only bad for women. It is bad for Britain."

The commission's 40 recommendations include plans to encourage more women away from the "five Cs" - catering, cleaning, cashiering, clerical work and caring.

- INDEPENDENT