Equal pay for women - Exploitation must end

DESPITE all the legislation and social advances introduced over the past four decades European women earn on average almost 16% less than men doing similar jobs.

In Ireland women earn 91% of what men earn for doing the same job. In Slovenia, that figure is 93.1%. At the other end of the scale Slovakian women have to settle for just 73.1% of what their male counterparts earn.

However, the gender gap is closing. Last year that figure was 15.9%, down from 16.2% in 2006. So, yes, progress has been made, but a lot more needs to be done. This, after all, is nothing short of exploitation.