As employment rates increased similarly for wives of top and bottom earners, the reduction in inequality resulting from higher female employment has been fairly strong. It is worth noting, however, that a gender gap remains in terms of wages. Despite having narrowed by around 20 percentage points since the introduction of the Equal Pay Act in 1975, the gender gap in median hourly earnings for a full-time job is still at 9.1% (ONS, 2011). Differently from 30 years ago, when the wage gap was already visible at entry in the labour market, nowadays it fluctuates around equality up to the age of 30, then opens up and levels off around the age of 50.