Better help for girls to hit gender pay chasm.

IT unfortunately comes as little surprise that women are still being paid less than men but it may be more of a shock that the gender pay gap is actually increasing.

Progress towards equal pay is stalling and not enough is being done to break down gender stereotypes in schools, according to the Women and Work Commission, which says women are paid 22.6% less per hour than men, compared with 21.9% two years ago.

It urged the Government - which set up the body in 2004 to look at employment issues facing women - to encourage more young women into non-traditional jobs and to promote better quality flexible and part-time employment.

The group, chaired by Baroness Margaret Prosser and made up of employers and union representatives, came up with 43 points for action, including demands for a national strategy for tackling gender inequality in education.

Baroness Prosser said: "Ministers must match commitment with fundamental change that will make a real difference, starting in our schools.

"We need to make our schools the nurturing ground for ambition so that everyone has the opportunity to use their talents to the full."

It's a point backed by Jane Atkinson, vice-president utilities operations at Teesside's Sembcorp Utilities. Although she says she has never been a victim of pay inequality, she believes the roots of the problem must be tackled while girls are still young.

"It all comes down to skills, education and parenting at a young age. It's not the fault of industry, it's stereotyping at an early age," said Ms Atkinson.

"Women and girls are very good at sciences at 14 to 16 but they don't chose them at A-level and university. They don't know what they can use science for because they are not given the advice.

"They need good education, careers advice and role models."

Dinah Bennett, director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at Durham University and founder of Women into the Network, says the current economic crisis should spark a review of the type of advice young women receive from careers officers.

She said: "More people are going for the same jobs, and more men are in traditionally female sectors because of the decline in manufacturing.

"Careers advisers have a more important role, to encourage women to think about self employment. This is a good platform for a re-education of careers advisers to look at self-employment, particularly in the current economic climate.

"A lot are forward-thinking and progressive but we tend not to think about it more holistically."

The report wants the Government to set goals to tackling stereotyping in careers advice and to provide more work experience opportunities for girls in non-traditional sectors.

CBI assistant regional director Liz Mayes said: "The CBI has been saying for some time that a key reason for women earning less than men are their academic choices and careers advice at school.

"More women should be encouraged to take maths and science subjects, which are very popular with employers and which will be critically important for the future growth of the North East economy."

CAPTION(S):

HANDS-ON Jane Atkinson, Sembcorp vice-president utilities operations. CHANCE Dinah Bennett.