It said that although there are now equal numbers of women and men in employment the hourly pay gap for full time work between women and men stands at 18.4% compared with 29% in 1975  For part-time work, the gap has hardly changed at all, it was 43% in 1975 and it now stands at 40%.

Even worse, just 3.7% of FTSE 100 executive directors are women and women pension are still much lower than men's.  The report also showed that despite large numbers of women now going out to work, men are not helping out more with household chores.  In heterosexual couples, women still do the lion's share of the housework, even when both partners are employed full-time.

UNISON national women's officer, Sharon Greene said it was important to get the legislation right but a change of mind-set was needed to gain true equality.  "UNISON has led the campaign for equal pay and continues to do so, not least in our negotiations on Single Status and Agenda for Change and the setting up of our Equal Pay Unit to deal with those cases where a negotiated settlement has not been possible," she said.

"The pay gap is not only about legislation however.  Until work in the caring professions is properly valued and quality part-time work is made available to women with caring responsibliites, the gap will continue to exist, and will impact women's pensions."

Greene said young women must be encouraged to enter those professions which are traditionally male dominated, both to end the occupational segregation which pervades the workforce and to force employers to offer flexible and family friendly policies for all their employees

"IN the last 30 years we have come a long way but there is much still to do both in the workplace and in society as a whole," she said.  "Women must continue to challenge perceptions and stereotypes including in our own trade union, we cannot and must not wait another 30 years for true equality."