Carry On films inspire equality drive


The campaign offers advice about sexual harassment

The bawdy and politically incorrect world of the Carry On films has become the inspiration for a new campaign aimed at fighting discrimination in the workplace.
A cartoon of a man grabbing his shocked female colleague highlights the problem of sexual harassment in the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) drive.



It's saying back in the good old days this is what it used to be like and maybe it hasn't moved on from that too much

EOC

The issue of discrimination is raised by a picture of a male worker being slipped a wad of cash by his boss, while women doing the same job are ignored.

Carry on Equality, which is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), highlights the fact that problems facing women when the films were made still exist.

"It's saying back in the good old days this is what it used to be like and maybe it hasn't moved on from that too much. These things are still going on," the EOC said.

The organisation said it also hopes to highlight the cost of a tribunal, in a bid to make employers see that discrimination can also be expensive.

Advice

EOC chairwoman Julie Mellor said: "If you're being sexually harassed at work, or paid less than a man doing the same job, there's no need to carry on regardless because there are places you can go for confidential advice."


Men are still paid 29% more than women

According to the organisation women earned less than 60p for every £1 a man earned in 1961, when the film Carry On Regardless was made.

Today the pay gap is still 29p and the EOC said much more needs to be done to bring about equality.

The greatest inequality is in London, where wages are highest and women earn 22% less than men.

The smallest gap was in Wales, where women took home 12% less pay than men.

The EOC said its campaign will encourage women to stand up for their rights at work, with adverts appearing in a series of national newspapers and magazines.

Confident

Raising the issue of tribunals, the EOC said more than 24,000 were held last year because of sex discrimination and equal pay issues, with an average award of more than £19,000.

According to research by the DTI only one in five small employers felt confident or very confident about their knowledge of individual employment rights.

And it was also revealed four out of ten people who had experienced employment problems did not seek any help or advice.

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