Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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11.27 11.28 11.29 11.30 pay relative to men’s. Between 2010 and 2011, the full-time gender pay gap reduced from 10.1% to 9.1% based on median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) as a result of women’s full-time median hourly earnings increasing at more than twice the rate of men’s (1.9% compared to 0.8%). In the Equality Strategy 63 the Government introduced a voluntary scheme for gender pay reporting, the Think, Act, Report Framework. 64 They also insist that “positive discrimination is not acceptable and is unlawful”. At the 2012 UPR examination, 65 in response to various clear recommendations on addressing the gender pay gap, the Government said that they would be using a range of approaches to close the gap, including extending the right to request flexible working and promoting a new system of flexible parental leave. However, the overall gender pay gap for all employees based on median hourly earnings decreased only marginally from 19.8% to 19.5%. 66 This is because women’s part-time earnings did not improve as much as women’s full-time earnings and it is still the case that a substantial part of the female workforce is employed on a part-time basis (43% of women compared to 13% of men). 67 The gender pay gap is also wider for women in their 50s. 68 The gender pay gap is also likely to increase as a result of pay freezes because more women work in the public sector so will be affected by these. Job cuts in the public sector, which is relatively well paid, will also see fewer women employed and the gender pay gap is twice as large in the private sector as it is in the public sector. 69 (See Appendix: 13) Changes to parental leave that allow men more of a role in raising their children will lead to happier, healthier relationships and families. A fairer division of caring responsibilities will go a long way towards closing the gender pay gap – some 14% of the persistent gap in pay between women and men can be attributed to the ‘motherhood penalty’, which sees women discriminated against in the workplace because of their greater caring responsibilities. Mothers, particularly those that are higher earners than their partners, may feel under pressure to ‘earn’ rather than ‘care’ if earnings are not more fully compensated. Mother’s earning levels clearly have an impact on return to work rates which in turn has an impact on a range of health and wellbeing measures including breastfeeding. 70 (See Appendix: 16 and 17 for further information) Recommendation: Adopt a national strategic approach to tackle the structural causes of the gender pay gap, including initiatives to widen educational and employment opportunities for girls and women as well as direct support to employers to improve job evaluation, pay transparency and flexible work options 63. Government Equalities Office (2010) The Equality Strategy – Building a Fairer Britain. GEO: London http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ publications/equalities/equality-strategy-publications/equality-strategy/equality-strategy?view=Binary 64. Government Equalities Office (2011) Think, Act, Report Framework https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-act-reportframework 65. Ministry of Justice, Universal Periodic Review http://www.justice.gov.uk/human-rights/universal-periodic-review Accessed: 21/04/13 66. Office for National Statistics (2011) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2011 (ASHE). ONS: London http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/ annual-survey-of-hours-and-earnings/ashe-results-2011/ashe-statistical-bulletin-2011.html 67. Office for National Statistics (2012) Labour Market Statistics, February 2012 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_254579.pdf 68. The Age and Employment Network (2013) ‘Gender gap widest for women in their 50s’, TAEN website, 20th March 2013 http://taen.org.uk/ news/view/1370 69. Stephenson, M. (2011) TUC Women and the Cuts Toolkit: How to carry out a human rights and equality impact assessment of the spending cuts on women. TUC: London http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-20286-f0.cfm 70. Ward, R. (2011) Health and equality impacts of well paid parental leave. Women’s Health and Equality Consortium and Maternity Action: London http://www.whec.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/10/ HealthandEqualityImpactsofWellPaidParentalLeave20111.pdf 104 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013
11.31 11.32 11.33 Introducing more family-friendly employment policies Failure to enable mothers, fathers and partners to access flexible working can result in parents, especially mothers, being unable to balance the demands of their work with the needs of their families. EHRC research into sex discrimination in the financial services industry found that one of the greatest barriers to women’s greater participation, equal standing and equal pay was a culture of long working hours and ‘presenteeism’, the reluctance to provide flexible working arrangements, and pressure on women working flexibly to resume standard and long working hours. 71 Full-time working is still seen as a prerequisite for promotion. 72 Policy development must acknowledge that there may be implications for maternal and infant health if women return to work too soon. Pregnant women already face discrimination at work and their health is put at risk where there is inadequate health and safety or well-paid parental leave. Health inequalities between social classes are also reinforced by low-paid maternity, paternity and parental leave policies. 73 Britain’s policy of a long period of leave reserved for mothers, most of it at a low rate of pay, relatively weak parental leave and a very short period of paternity leave continue to make the assumption that it is women who are the main carer and men are the main breadwinner. 74 (See Appendix: 17 for further information) Recommendations: • Current maternity, paternity and parental leave policy needs to be re-designed to enable parents to be able to meet their work and caring roles. There needs to be greater integration of parental leave policy and early years and childcare policy and infant and maternal/paternal wellbeing with communication between Government departments • When developing the shared parental leave policy the Government should build on the Marmot Review 75 recommendations including providing paid parental leave in the first year of life with a minimum income for healthy living • Extend the right to request flexible working to all workers Current maternity and pregnancy workplace provision along with low levels of maternity pay can have long-term consequences. Job loss as a result of pregnancy or maternity leave can jeopardise women’s financial security for their whole lives. Women dismissed or otherwise discriminated against during pregnancy are less likely than other women to return to work after having a baby. If they do return to work, it has been estimated that their earnings will be reduced by 5%. The impact will also last into retirement through lower pension earnings. 76 (See Appendix: 19) Instead of the Government supporting the importance of maternity rights, in 2011 the then director of strategy for the Prime Minister, Steve Hilton, suggested that all maternity laws should be scrapped as they are a burden to employers. 77 71. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2010) Financial Services Inquiry: Sex discrimination and gender pay gap report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. EHRC: London http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/financial_services_inquiry_report.pdf 72. Guillame and Pochic (2009), MacInnes (2005), Linehan and Walsh(2000) cited in Campbell-Barr, V. and Garnham, A. (2010) Childcare: A review of what parents want. Equality And Human Rights Commission Research Report No. 66 http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/ uploaded_files/research/childcare_what_parents_want.pdf 73. Ward, R. (2011) Health and equality impacts of well paid parental leave. Women’s Health and Equality Consortium and Maternity Action: London http://www.whec.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/10/ HealthandEqualityImpactsofWellPaidParentalLeave20111.pdf 74. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2009) Working Better Meeting the changing needs of families, workers and employers in the 21st century. EHRC: London http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/working_better_final_pdf_250309.pdf 75. UCL Institute of Health Equity (2010) Fair Society, Healthy Lives: Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post-2010 (The Marmot Review). UCL: London http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/projects/fair-society-healthy-lives-the-marmot-review 76. Alliance Against Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace (2009) Pregnant women and new mums at risk of redundancy http://www. maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/allianceagainstpregnancydiscrimination.pdf 77. Peev, G. (2011) ‘PM’s aide attacked over call to axe maternity pay’, The Daily Mail, 29th July 2011 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ article-2019627/Steve-Hilton-Axe-maternity-leave-boost-economy-says-Cameron-guru.html Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 105
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Appendices (online only) Appendix 1
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• the continued discrimination ag
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• Develop a common model of analy
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Article 9 - Nationality: One third
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investment in social infrastructure
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and increase the marginalisation of
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have been no prosecutions in Englan
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1 2 3 4 5 Introduction This is a Un
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10 11 12 13 housing crisis, a ‘lo
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1.1 1.2 1.3 Article 1 - Overarching
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1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Women’
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1.17 1.18 1.19 Young women We are a
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2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 consult to “remov
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2.12 2.13 discrimination”. Howeve
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2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 worsen gen
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2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 CEDAW and the l
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3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 would “increase
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3.15 3.16 3.17 and accountable EHRC
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3.22 3.23 3.24 report is was partic
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classes, migrants, and Gypsy, Trave
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the institutional discrimination an
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5.5 5.6 5.7 Case study: 8 Sandra li
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5.12 5.13 5.14 issue. A more approp
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6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Article 6 - Exploit
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15.14 15.15 15.16 purport to be vic
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15.21 15.22 15.23 Case study: 35
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15.28 15.29 15.30 15.31 has not pro
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15.35 15.36 behaviour by male priso
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16.5 16.6 people being forced into
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16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15
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16.21 16.22 frequently women’s ac
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Recommendations: • Parents with c
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19.6 19.7 19.8 as well as for our c
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19.13 19.14 19.15 19.16 The Governm
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19.22 19.23 19.24 19.25 VAWG is a c
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19.30 19.31 19.32 19.33 DV is still
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19.38 19.39 19.40 perpetrators thro
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19.43 19.44 19.45 Support for victi
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19.49 19.50 19.51 19.52 Recommendat
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19.57 19.58 19.59 19.60 BMER VAWG p
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19.62 19.63 19.64 19.65 VAWG in hea
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19.70 19.71 19.72 Invisibility of s
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19.77 19.78 19.79 A number of repor
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19.85 19.86 means more provision. T
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Annex 1: The Devolved Administratio
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to 41.8% of rural men. 16 Rural are
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Annex 2: The UK’s relationship wi
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Annex 3: UK reservations and declar
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ESA - Employment and Support Allowa
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Annex 5: Acknowledgements Many than
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Women’s Resource Centre is suppor
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Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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