UUP Expresses 'Disappointment' Over Gender Pay Gap

The Ulster Unionist Party has expressed "disappointment" following revelations of a significant gender pay gap at Higher Education Institutions in Northern Ireland.

UUP Candidate for West Tyrone, Alicia Clarke, said we must ensure that action is taken to tackle the issue.

She said: "According to an Assembly research paper, published in 2016, the public sector gender pay gap is 7% while in the private sector the gender pay gap is 22%. The Assembly and Westminster must take ownership of this issue and seek ways to ensure that women enjoy the same pay over the course of their life as men in society.

"This is important for two reasons. Firstly, we need our full workforce to be engaged and valued in the job market, contributing to all sectors of the economy and providing varied insight and skillsets.

"Secondly, as a society engaged in pursuing true and meaningful equality we must ensure that at this basic level of average earnings for men and women, we are taking action. We simply cannot allow this to persist.

"The factors contributing to the pay gap are many and it is a complex problem to say the least but there are some clear steps we should take to start to address it. Firstly, we must provide a comprehensive childcare service across Northern Ireland that meets the needs of parents, children and the workplace.

"We should also pursue incentives to businesses and families that would allow men or women to take time out of work to look after children in the first year of a child's life. A starting point would be a review of maternity and paternity arrangements. We want to ensure that families have all the options available to make choices that reflect modern family lifestyles."

(CD/JP)