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 The BBC's Judith Moloney"She described the intolerable burden on women in the workplace"  real 28k  Cherie Booth QC"Women are not on an equal footing in the workplace"  real 28kPolly Toynbee, The Guardian"It's very hard for mothers" real 28kRuth Lea, Institute of Directors"Employers, on the whole, are trying very hard" real 28k |
In a speech to fellow lawyers, she said a culture of discrimination forced women to struggle with the balance of work and family life.
The prime minister's wife said women faced lower pay and tough working conditions, although she added that the future would be brighter.
Cherie Booth, a leading employment lawyer, predicted progress towards a more equal working environment over the next five years.
She said the need to employ and retain women means that the situation will improve by 2005.
 Women's work rights "set to improve"
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But she said employers will have to find ways of implementing family-friendly practices, such as flexible working hours, job-share schemes, term-time working for parents, and improved child-care.
And where these work-life policies were already being implemented there were reduced rates of absenteeism, improved staff retention and a wider pool of prospective employees.
She said other sociological and cultural factors exacerbated the current situation with women doing three times as much housework as men and twice as likely to look after elderly relatives than men.
Cherie Booth also encouraged her husband Tony Blair to follow the Finnish premier's example and take paternity leave when their baby is born in a couple of months time.
Change through necessity
She said: "Women are not on an equal footing with men.
"This is confounded by the legal system which has not developed quickly enough to deal effectively with this type of discrimination.
"That is the situation now but one I believe will change in the future, because of necessity."
The prime minister's wife said it was important to ensure that part-time workers were paid at the same rates as those who worked full-time.
And another group of people who suffered discrimination in the workplace were those in same-sex relationships.
She recalled losing the case she had brought on behalf of a lesbian booking office clerk working for South West Trains who had been denied a travel concession granted to heterosexual staff.
Miss Booth believes homosexuals would have greater job security when the Human Rights Act comes into effect later this year.
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