Head of Communications Kate Andrew’s comments on the Prime Minister’s pay gap pledge have featured in City AM, the Huffington Post UK and the International Business Times UK. From City AM:
“It’s a sad state of affairs when even the Prime Minister is promoting the gender pay gap myth. According to the Office for National Statistics, women between the ages of 22-39 working more than 30 hours a week earn, on average, more than their male counterparts,” said Kate Andrews from free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute.
“Education, previous experiences, negotiating tactics, and unique abilities all contribute to one’s salary, none of which can be known by comparing John and Jane’s annual take-home pay on a spreadsheet.”
From the Huffington Post:
Commenting on Cameron's announcement, Kate Andrews of the Adam Smith Institute said it is a “sad state of affairs when even the Prime Minister is promoting the gender pay gap myth.” Andrews noted that according to the ONS, women between the ages of 22 – 39 working more than 30 hours a week "earn, on average, more than their male counterparts.”
"Forcing business with more than 250 employees to publish their ‘pay gaps’ will only promote more myths and confusion,” she said. “There is no such thing as an ‘average salary’; education, previous experiences, negotiating tactics, and unique abilities all contribute to one’s salary, none of which can be known by comparing John and Jane’s annual take-home pay on a spread sheet.”
"FTSE 100 companies have met the proposed target for 25% female board members not because the government told them to, but because women, through their own abilities and determination, are thriving in the work place more than ever before. But leave it to the government to try to usurp their achievements," she said.
From the International Business Times UK:
The Adam Smith Institute, a free market right-leaning thinktank also opposes the move, saying that it was a "sad state of affairs when even the prime minister is promoting the gender pay gap myth."
The institute's head of communications, Kate Andrews said that forcing businesses to publish their pay gaps will only promote more myths and confusion. "There is no such thing as an 'average salary''; education, previous experiences, negotiating tactics, and unique abilities all contribute to one's salary, none of which can be known by comparing John and Jane's annual take-home pay on a spreadsheet."
She said men and women also make different career decisions to allow them to embrace other parts of their life and this, naturally can be reflected in their pay, according to the Guardian.