Women's equality

Despite dramatic progress in recent generations, many women today still face inequalities, and have different experiences and expectations compared with men.

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Facts and figures 

  • the gender pay gap for full-time men and women is 10.2 per cent and the gap comparing all men and women is 19.8 per cent (source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2010)
  • women are under-represented on company boards in the UK: in 2010 12.5 per cent of directors of FTSE 100 companies and only 7.8 per cent of directors of FTSE 250 companies were women (source Female FTSE Report 2010, Cranfield School of Management, December 2010)
  • we have a record number of female MPs, yet women still only account for one in five Members of Parliament (source Inter Parliamentary website)
  • in 2009-10 women were the victims of 73 per cent of domestic violence incidents (2009 - 2010 British Crime Survey data)

More about women's representation in government, in public life, and on company boards.  

Creating gender equality

The government is committed to breaking down these remaining barriers to gender equality. To do this we need to move beyond more bureaucracy and legislation, to promoting equality through transparency and behaviour change.

The government will act as a catalyst and advocate for change, working with businesses, the voluntary sector and wider civil society to create equal opportunities.

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