Despite progress, pay gaps continue to exist between men and women, according to the latest report from the Women and Work Commission.

New research released today has revealed that a significant pay gap still exists between men and women, sparking demand for a new strategy to be implemented to tackle stereotyping in career’s advice.

The Women and Work Commission was set up in 2004 to look at the causes of the gender pay and opportunities gap, with Baroness Margaret Prosser as Chair. Three years after the original report was published, Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, asked the Commission to review it and look at where progress has or has not been made.

However, according to the report women are still paid, on average, 22.6% less an hour than men; many women work well below their actual skill levels; and there are still 22 companies in the FTSE 100 that have boards made up solely of men. Yet it is suggested that by “unlocking women’s talent” the UK economy could benefit by up to £23 billion – welcoming news at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the recent recession.

In the report Baroness Prosser has highlighted a concern that “women are increasingly likely to be discriminated against because of the costs associated with maternity leave”. However, this looks unlikely to disappear if companies struggling to survive during the downturn only consider immediate results rather than looking at the long-term picture.

This news is not new however, as research carried out by the Equal Opportunities Commission prior to the economic downturn, estimated that 30,000 women lose their jobs each year because they are pregnant.

A variety of recommendations have come out of this latest report, which calls for more action to be made. A particular focus, however, is upon Government departments to take the lead. One major call is on a national strategy for tackling gender inequality in the education system – an objective that if successfully tackled could combat the problem at its grass roots.

In her summing up of the study, Baroness Prosser said the Commission was “still disappointed by the lack of action taken by Government to break down stereotypes in the education system.”

The Fawcett Society, a group that campaigns for equality between men and women, welcomed the study, but said the recommendations do not go far enough in helping to resolve the continuing problem. Rowena Lewis, Acting Director, said: “The gender pay gap is a national scandal and the Government must get serious about tackling it.

“The pay gap is an affront to justice and means poverty in the UK has a female face. The measures proposed in the report will not be sufficient to deliver justice to the millions of UK women currently being short-changed.”