THESE days, women have it all - or so we are led to believe. Nicola Horlick was held up as a shining example and nicknamed superwoman for the way she managed to combine her high-flying career in the City with bringing up a young family. But, according to one pressure group, she's an exception to the rule and most women are still lagging behind their male counterparts both at home and in the workplace.

The Fawcett Society has been campaigning for equality for women since the 19th Century and, this year, they are asking women across Britain to join them in speaking up for equality.

The Equality? Get Real! Campaign, being launched today, sets out a charter of rights for women in the UK, including financial security, educational choice, representation, autonomy and equal treatment.

The campaign was prompted by new research that shows the gap between men and women is as wide as ever.

Statistics show that men working full time are paid an average of £11 an hour but women receive only £8.89. Over a lifetime, this adds up to almost £250,000 in lost earnings if you're a woman.

Forty-five per cent of women have an individual income or less than £100 a week.

Men are also in front when it comes to reaching top positions. Only six per cent of board members of the FTSE 100 companies are women and only 17 per cent of MPs.

And even if they have their own careers, women still find themselves spending more time looking after the family than their husbands or partners. Seventy-nine per cent of women still do all or most of the housework, even in families where both partners have full-time jobs.

For more information or a campaign pack, contact The Fawcett Society on 020 7628 4441 or visit the website at www.fawcettsociety.org.uk.