PROPOSALS to extend paid maternity leave beyond the existing six months are set to feature prominently in Labour's general election manifesto.

Ministers are looking carefully at the implications for employers and taxpayers but the idea was a "high priority", said Trade & Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Earlier this year, business organisations voiced concerns when Ms Hewitt floated the idea.

At present, mothers are entitled to six months' paid leave - at 90 per cent of salary for the first few weeks, then £100 a week for the remainder - and six months unpaid.

Yesterday Ms Hewitt said ridding Britain of "career sexism" was vital to closing the pay gap between men and women.

She announced a new drive to help women who wish to work in male-dominated job sectors such as IT and science.

Ms Hewitt was addressing the gender and work summit organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and hosted by Chancellor Gordon Brown at Number 11 Downing Street.

Women in full-time employment earn 19 per cent less than men, according to the EOC.

Women hold less than 10 per cent of the leading positions in FTSE100 companies, the police, the judiciary and trade unions.

Pay analysts Income Data Services (IDS) reported last week that the gap between the pay of women and men was wider than thought and had not narrowed as quickly as previous figures suggested.

Ms Hewitt said: "What we are talking about here is the fact that about six out of 10 women work in jobs that are low-paid and typically dominated by women, so we have got very segregated employment.

"Unfortunately, in some cases, this reflects very old-fashioned and stereotypical ideas about the appropriate jobs for women, or indeed for men.

"Career sexism is about saying that engineering, for instance, where only 10 per cent of employees are women, is really a male-dominated industry. Construction is even worse.

"But it is also about saying childcare jobs are really there for women and not suitable for men. Career sexism goes both ways.

"We have certainly made progress, but if you look at the pay gap figures, the average woman working full-time is being paid about 80p for every pound a man is earning. For women working part-time it is 60p."

First published: October 27