EQUAL PAY IS STILL FAR-OFF FOR BRITAIN

Here we go again. The Equal Pay Act was introduced 46 years ago and yet from Thursday this week
the UK’s female workforce will effectively be working for free until 31 December, due to the scale
of the gender pay gap. Average pay for full-time female employees is still 9.4% lower than for full-
time male employees, according to the latest official figures. Women continue to be penalised
with lower pay and fewer promotions when they return to work after taking time away to care for
children and because they tend to work in jobs with lower salaries, such as caring and
administration. There is also a penalty for working part-time where pay, on average, is less per
hour than in full-time work. And a far higher proportion of women work part-time – 41%,
compared with only 12% of men.

What’s more, when compared with other countries’ records on gender equality, the UK has
slipped down the global rankings. It was the ninth most gender-equal country in 2006 but by this
year had slipped to 20th place, according to tables compiled by the World Economic Forum.
At this pace, it will take decades to close the gender pay gap. That is bad news for a government
that has declared it can close the gap within a generation.

To be fair, ministers have made some encouraging noises and even some meaningful changes.
They include flexible parental leave and the national living remuneration, of which two-thirds of
recipients are women. The government is also increasing the amount of free childcare on offer to
working parents and from April next year all those companies with more than 250 staff will have
to publish their gender pay gap. There are also moves to get more women on company boards.

At the moment, girls and boys are let down by inadequate careers advice, and when they get into
the workplace they are let down again by a chronic under-investment in training that forces far
too many people in low-paying, low-skilled jobs. In placing employers under more scrutiny, the
new rules should be helpful. But it is not enough to name and shame the worst offenders. Workers
need more means to challenge those inequalities.

Prime Minister Theresa May called for gender equality when she set out her declaration for a
“Britain that works for everyone”. If she meant it, she must get tough on Britain’s obstinately wide
pay gap.
1. In the first paragraph, we understand that

A. women who have children are particularly penalized.

B. women who work part-time are losing out in all ways.
C. women started to be paid the same as men in 1946.
D. women don’t get paid in December.

2. Britain’s global ranking

A. will be better in the next few years.
B. has gone down drastically this year.
C. didn’t use to worry the government.
D. has declined gradually since 2006.

3. The third paragraph

A. highlights how the World Economic Forum has been unfair in its findings.
B. admits the government has been trying to improve the situation for women who work.
C. points out how criticism of the government is unfounded.
D. lists what the government has been forced to do.

4. In the fourth paragraph, we learn

A. boys and girls choose the wrong careers.
B. money is misspent.
C. workers are to blame.
D. there are flaws in the system.

5. Are you surprised by what you have read in the text? If so, why? If not, why not?

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6. What’s the best way to fight inequality, racism and prejudice? By demonstrations? By educating children
at school? By good parenting? By example? Give your opinion and reasons.

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 OVERPAID FOOTBALLERS

There are (1) ________________________ arguments for rewarding winners in sport

(2)__________________ , thereby allowing the more talented to take correspondingly more from their
sport than those of lesser lights.

If someone is able to (3)__________________________ beat the best in the world of tennis or golf, few
would begrudge him or her the biggest pot of gold. It is quite another thing, however, to pay
(4)_____________________ weekly sums of money to a member of an 11-man team – far in (5)
__________________ of most people’s annual salary! This team member may have a knack with the odd
(6)________________ free kick or (7)________________ header, but he will often be out of action for long
periods with (8)_________________ injuries, and after a few years will allow himself to be sold to the
highest (9) ___________ for the whole sordid process to be repeated elsewhere. It is little short of an (10)
________!

1. PERSUADE - persuasive
2. FINANCE- financially
3. REPEAT - repeatedly
4. ASTRONOMY – astronomical
5. EXCEED- excess
6. SUCCEED– successful
7. SPECTACLE- spectacular
8. MYSTERY– mysterious
9. BID- bidder(s)
10. OBSCENE – obscenity