In an interview with the Guardian, the shadow chancellor said that she wanted to shatter the "last glass ceiling in politics" and felt a "big responsibility" to use the Treasury to improve the position of women across the country, including by making sure they were properly rewarded at work.
A Labour government would make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, except where it was not reasonably feasible, while big companies with more than 250 staff would be required to publish, and then bring in, action plans to close the gender pay gap.
Reeves said she planned to pull other policy levers including creating more nursery places and free school breakfast clubs, reviewing parental leave within the first year of government, and working with business to appoint more female executives.
The gender pay gap in the UK currently stands at 14.3%, according to the TUC, and would take 20 years to wipe out if it continues to fall at the same rate. It is worse in some sectors including finance, banking, law and education.
In her interview, Reeves said she was inspired by influential Labour women including Barbara Castle, who brought in the Equal Pay Act, Harriet Harman, who introduced the Equality Act, and Ellen Wilkinson, one of the first Labour women in parliament.
"I feel like in many ways, I'm standing on their shoulders and the same way that they have made achievements for women, I want to do the same," she said.
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