Hello. A warm thank you to those who have supported the campaign in its first few days. We have nearly reached 150 signatures – hooray! I need your help to get the word out – can you share the petition with like-minded friends and family on social media? I hope we reach 250 signatories in March, 500 signatories in April, 1000 in June, 5000 in September, and 10,000 by the time the General Election is held in the UK.
Today, I’d like to focus on the Gender Pay Gap and ask Why we are not economically equal at work. Why are we treated differently? Why do we tolerate this? Why has the Gender Pay Gap reporting initiative not closed the gap yet?
Although we have made good progress with the UK gender pay gap initiative, closing the inequality gap has been TOO SLOW. We need action, not excuses.
A Sunday thread....
In 2023, the Guardian wrote that women were still paid less than men at four out of five employers in Great Britain. They further highlighted that the pay gap has remained as unacceptably wide as it was five years ago. Guardian article on Gender Pay Gap April 2023
There is no analysis or reporting available for non-binary or trans people. This gap is unknown and unstudied.
Poor excuses are made for the gap such as "women have children", "women are more likely to be carers", or “some genders are less likely to ask for fair pay or raises”, which seem to penalize or assume gendered roles. These poor excuses lack accountability and ignore the disparities and power imbalance of genders, which are holding decision-making roles determining pay.
There are no meaningful consequences for employers persisting in treating people differently concerning pay or benefits. Does the average person have recourse or legal resources to question their equality status with their employer?
We need more challenging legal mandates and employer accountability to accelerate equal pay, pensions, and benefits in the UK. Over 50+ years of well-meaning UK legislation has yet to be adequate to solve this problem.
We need gender equality legislation covering all aspects of our lives. Only 14 countries worldwide have recently enacted wide-reaching legislation protecting full gender equality rights. Although there are many laws which give some rights on gender equality, the UK is not one of those 14 countries offering full gender equality protections.
Please share our Gender Justice petition and demand a better future for all of us: Sign the Gender Justice UK Petition
#GenderJustice #GenderEquality #HumanRights
Thank you for standing tall with me for Gender Justice in the UK.
With best wishes,
Helen Moulinos, Friends for Gender Justice Campaign UK