Bermuda, a top US women's rights expert believes.

Lynn Hecht-Schafran was speaking to a public forum organised by the Task Force on Women's issues last night.

It was aimed both at women and men -- and about 200 people turned up for the meeting at St. Paul's Centennial Hall, on Court Street.

Ms Hecht-Schafran said: "There is no legislation in Bermuda that requires that a woman doing the same job as a man be paid the same amount.

"I have discovered that there are women and men working side by side and the man is being paid more than the woman. Women are not working for pin money.'' The Task Force has been set up to develop a national policy for women and Ms Hecht-Schafran added: "I hope that one thing that will come out of this initiative will be an Equal Pay Act.'' Ms Hecht-Schafran is the Director of the National Judicial Education Programme with the National Organisation for Women, Legal Defence and Education Fund in New York.

She is considered to be the leading expert and educator on issues that concern women in law and has worked for more than 15 years to eliminate gender bias in the US courts.

Last night she told the audience that their future lay in their hands and they had to exert pressure to cause change.

"If laws that are made are not responsive to what happens in women's lives they are not going to help anyone.

"You can really make change, but it has to be a system where the people and the Government are working together and not a case where the word is coming down from on high.

"If you are not out there pushing every day to make recommendations happen they will not happen,'' she added.

Earlier Sen. Lynda Milligan-Whyte, the Minister of Legislative Affairs and Women's Issues, addressed the audience and told them that the Task Force had already achieved great success in bringing forward the Domestic Violence Protection Bill and the Stalking Bill.