Despite many advances in women’s rights and gender equality, women in employment continue to pay a high price for starting a family. Taxes, steep childcare costs, and lack of availability or access to such facilities force many into part-time work when they would ideally like to be working full-time.

The average 50-year-old man earns nearly 60% more than the average 50-year-old woman, with an £11,000 earnings gender gap hitting women’s retirement saving, new research conducted for MetLife shows.

The appointment of women to FTSE 350-listed non-executive director roles is being held back by selection processes which ultimately favour candidates with similar characteristics to existing male-dominated board members, according to a new report released by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Working Families has published its annual report on the issues raised by parents calling its free legal advice line, and reveals that parents are facing impossible choices and discrimination in work.