Protest party with plenty of money to burn

A SWEDISH feminist party has burned 100,000 Swedish kronor (£8,670) at a barbecue in a protest against unequal pay for men and women.

The Feminist Initiative party said the money set ablaze on the Swedish island of Gotland yesterday represented the amount of money the country's women miss out on every minute in comparison to men in similar employment.

Party leader Gudrun Schyman said "it may seem desperate to burn 100,000 kronor, but the situation is desperate as well."

Sweden is known throughout the world for its achievements in ensuring gender equality but overall women still earn less than men.

According to the national statistics agency, the average salary in 2008 of women working full-time was about 19 per cent lower than that of men.

The money that was set ablaze had been donated to the Feminist Initiative party by an advertising agency.