Gender Inequality and Reflexive Law: The Potential of different regulatory Mechanisms for making Employment Rights effective

S. Deakin, C. McLaughlin and D.H. Chai

Working Papers from Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge

Abstract: We review the different regulatory mechanisms which have been used in the UK context to promote gender equality in employment over the past decade, including legal enforcement based on claimant-led litigation, collective bargaining, pay audits, and shareholder pressure. Evidence is drawn from case studies examining the effects of these different mechanisms on organisations in the public and private sectors, and from econometric analysis of the impact of stock market pressures on firms' human resource practices. We argue that there is scope for reflexive solutions to improve the effectiveness in practice of UK equality law, by inducing efficient disclosure by employers, setting default rules, and encouraging bargaining in the shadow of the law.

Keywords: equal pay; gender equality; reflexive law (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J53 J78 K31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab
Note: PRO-2
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp426

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