Women In Equalities Minister's Dept Earn Less

Women civil servants working for the Equalities Minister are earning £4,000 less each year than their male counterparts.

The figures, disclosed by the Labour Party ahead of International Women's Day on Tuesday, showed that women working in the Department for Education (DfE) were paid nearly £2 an hour less than the men.

The research also showed that just one in four board members of the department, headed by Nicky Morgan, were women.

Last month, Ms Morgan announced plans to name and shame firms with more than 250 workers who failed to pay men and women equally by publishing league tables.

Lucy Powell, shadow education secretary, said: "This is deeply embarrassing for the Education Secretary, who is also the  Government's lead equalities minister.

"If Nicky Morgan is unable to tackle the gender pay gap in her own department for women, what can she do?"

It comes as the recruitment firm Robert Half disclosed that women earned £300,000 less in their working lives than men - a gender pay gap of 24%.

A spokesman for the DfE said: "This Government has gone further than ever before in tackling the gender pay gap.

"Only last month we unveiled a raft of measures requiring companies with more than 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap and we are extending that duty across the public sector.

"We have a world class civil service that is increasingly equal and more diverse than the majority of British employers.

"These figures show that we are closing the gender pay gap and increasing the numbers of women in senior roles in the DfE. There will always be more to do but we expect that trend to continue as we continue towards a truly equal workforce in all sectors."

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Closing the gender pay gap is in the interests of everyone. Nicky Morgan, as equalities minister, should lead by example in her own department and in her role of Secretary of State for Education."