Bar highlights gender pay gap by charging women 77% of bill

A bar in New York has been protesting the gender pay gap by charging women just 77 per cent of their drinks bill.

On average, women in America will earn 77 per cent less than their male counterparts, a figure the Way Station bar in Brooklyn described as "some shameful "s***".

"I have three sisters. The majority of my staff and friends are women," Andy Heidel, the bar's owner told The Guardian. "I thought this would be a great way to even the playing field even if it was for one night only."

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Although offering women a 23 per cent discount won't solve the pay problem, campaigners praised Heidel for drawing attention to wage discrepancies in modern day America.

"If all companies levelled the playing field by charging us broads 77 percent of stuff, men would probably line up to protest the wage gap," says feminist news site Jezebel.

However, online men's rights activists argued that the offer was a form of gender discrimination, as many US states outlaw gender-based pricing structures.

Heidel's response? "For those men complaining about it, those are not the type of people I want as customers so this promotion is helping to weed out those who do not want to treat women with respect."

Women in the US still face routine discrimination in the workplace, according to the country's Labour Department. There are fewer women in CEO positions than there are men named John, and a woman with an advanced university degrees earns less than a man with a bachelor's degree.

The picture in the UK is not much better. Although the gap is at its lowest level to date, women still make just 80p for every pound a man earns, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Earlier this year, the International Labour Organization reported that the difference in earnings between men and women had barely changed in 20 years – and won't close for another 70 if the current rate continues.