Positive action?

It looks like a development in the law could make a big difference to the fate of women in the business world. A new equality law would let employers use positive action in the recruitment process – hiring women or ethnic minorities if they are under-represented and if the candidates are of equal merit. However this could also work the other way with employers able to use it to hire more men, for example as primary school teachers. The Bill would also cover a wide range of issues to help close the pay gap between men and women, including the barring of gagging clauses that ban staff from discussing salaries and an investigation into the gender pay gap in the financial sector. Of course there are both critics and supporters of the developments but as Joan Bakewell said in the Times, “stuff secrecy” – hopefully this shake up is just what we need to progress a little bit further.