Our thanks to a number of people for this. An excerpt:
Women who return to work part-time after having a baby continue to earn less than men for many years afterwards, says a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies…
Robert Joyce, one of the IFS report’s authors, said women did not see an immediate cut in their hourly wages when they reduce their hours.
“Rather, women who work half-time lose out on subsequent wage progression, meaning that the hourly wages of men (and of women in full-time work) [our emphasis] pull further and further ahead…
The TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It is scandalous that millions of women still suffer a motherhood pay penalty.”
“Many are forced to leave better-paid jobs due to the pressure of caring responsibilities and the lack of flexible working.”
In breaking news, sports scientists at Whackadoodle University have discovered a link between the time and effort atheletes devote to training, and their success in competitions. Professor Melissa Foster said:
It is scandalous that thousands of athletes suffer a dedication penalty, and that athletes who train hard win competitions, while their less dedicated colleagues don’t. We are calling for an end to the patriarchal link between sporting prowess and success in competitions, and have just secured a major government grant to work out how to give all athletes the same chance of winning competitions.
One early suggestion is that gender-specific competitions are ended, in return for women being given as many awards as men. Another is that points be awarded for gender, obesity, and lack of fitness, and we’d like to see an end to the expectation that athletes won’t eat cakes, drink alcohol, or smoke during sporting events.
