New figures showing the complete failure of Labour's policies on equal pay were released last week.
The Office for National Statistics has revealed that the gap between men and women's pay is actually growing – and is now over 17 percent. This means that, on average, women earn £12.88 an hour compared to men's £15.54 an hour.
The TUC says the situation is even worse in the private sector – where the pay gap is 21 percent.
In the last year, Britain has fallen 20 places to number 81 in the World Economic Forum's equality pay ranking.
This shows how deeply gender inequality is structured into the system. It will take a powerful struggle, by working women and men, to ensure that this situation does not worsen in the recession, and in fact that it is reversed.