WOMEN are still getting a raw deal, despite reforms by New Labour, according to a team from Manchester University.

Many have seen no improvement in their circumstances since Labour came to power 10 years ago, say Dr Francesca Gains, Dr Claire Annesley and Prof Kirstein Rummery, authors of a new book. According to the government's own statistics, women working full-time are currently paid on average 87.4 per cent of men's hourly pay, making the gender pay gap one of the highest in the EU.

And 53 per cent of lone parent households - most of whom are women - are classed as poor.

This is despite improvements in maternity leave, childcare availability and pension credits say the authors.

Social scientist Dr Gains said: "Despite New Labour in 2005 describing itself as `the most feminist in history,' there are still huge gender inequalities.

"Women are to be given pension credits for time spent in unpaid caring work when they could not build up their own pension rights - a great improvement. The provision of maternity leave and availability of childcare has also improved since 1997. But this does not add up to a comprehensive and successful strategy to tackle gender inequalities."

Their book, `New Labour: towards an engendered politics and policy' also explores how government policies have had little impact on the distribution of paid and unpaid work between mothers and fathers.

The authors say the government should also tackle the status and behaviour of men.

Dr Gains said: "Only four per cent of men take up their full paternity leave entitlement, usually because it is women who take time off to bring up the children."