I have been on the job for more than a year. Recently, a colleague boasted that he was earning more than I was.

This sets me off thinking. Most of the guys on my team lead very "comfortable" lives, new car, gadgets, vacations, nights out, parties. I, on the other hand, can barely make ends meet!

I am thinking that they could be paid more (I'm a woman.) But I can't go and ask about it because pay scales are confidential!

It could be equal pay or gender discrimination. But without solid proof, it would be difficult to go on. You can write your employer if you think that you are being discriminated against. Or you could file a claim to the Employment Tribunal for discrimination. But I'm not sure if you could do that without really knowing how much your male colleagues are getting.

The thing is, you could ASK your employer. You just tell ask them to fill up the Equal Pay Questionnaire at http://www.equalities.gov.uk/docs/Eq...stionnaire.doc

I've actually heard about this questionnaire before, but I was also told that your employer could flat out refuse to answer this. Now if I were the employer and I was guilty of pay discrimination between my male and female employees, I would certainly, certainly not answer this, right?

Well, you've heard right, your employer can refuse to answer it, as no law requires them to do so. BUT, and this is what makes it very interesting, in the event that the requesting employee brings the matter to an employment tribunal, and the employer refuses, it could be that an 'inference can be drawn' from the employer's refusal. Which means that the employer is seen to have paid you inequally because of your gender.