THE pace of change over pay gaps faced by women, members of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities is “glacial” according to a Scottish human rights expert. Dr Lesley Sawers, Scottish commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is really referring largely to improvements for women. For other groups such as men with depression, Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers, and epilepsy sufferers, EHRC figures have only just evidenced a pay gap long suspected, but lacking proof.

The EHRC is undoubtedly right to say only a change in cultural attitudes can tackle this problem in the longer term – by bolstering existing efforts to counter gender stereotyping at an early age, for instance. Those who disparaged the fuss over Clarks marketing ‘Dolly Babe’ shoes for girls alongside a ‘Leader’ brand for boys might want to reflect on a 15 per cent pay gap between women and men in Scotland.

But to increase the speed of movement towards equality, more is needed. The EHRC is calling for jobs to offer flexible and part time working even at the very top levels. Some may find this unrealistic, but it should be considered more widely. Meanwhile, as the BBC has shown us, transparency is necessary for fair pay. Employers should heed the Commission’s call for voluntary disclosure of their pay gap, while it should be mandatory for all those seeking public contracts.