What is the Equality Act 2010, how do equal pay laws work and are they different from the gender pay gap?
The legislation bans the unfair treatment of employees and helps achieve equal opportunities in the workplace - yet still women are earning less than men
THE Equality Act 2010 bans the unfair treatment of employees and helps achieve equal opportunities in the workplace and in wider society.
But how do equal pay laws work - and are they different to the gender pay gap? Here's the lowdown.
What is the Equality Act 2010 and what does it do?
The Equality Act 2010 brings together 116 different pieces of legislation to protect people's rights and advance equality for all.
It replaces previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single law to make it easier for people to understand and comply with.
The public sector Equality Duty came into force on April 5 2011 and applies to public bodies.
It replaces the three previous public sector equality duties - for race, disability and gender.
Is claims: "There's no one cause of the gap - important factors are discrimination, undervaluing roles predominantly done by women, dominance of men in best paid positions and unequal caring responsibilities."
In October 2017, Theresa May urged small firms to publish details of gender pay in a bid to close the gap.
The Prime Minister said a “step change” was needed, following news that large companies will be required to release this information by March 2018.