Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

13.34
13.35
Therefore women are facing a double hit from the higher cost of living and reduced income that
is pushing many women and children into poverty.
Women have a lower percentage of all other types of wealth-building products. They have
fewer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) (35% vs. 41% – men), stocks and shares investments
(12% vs. 22% – men) and premium bonds (21% vs. 28% – men). 63 Women’s access to credit also
has various barriers, from gender stereotyping when women seek loans as private customers
to disparities between how male and female entrepreneurs are treated by lenders. There are
ongoing discriminatory practices in the UK ranging from prejudice against female entrepreneurs
seeking business loans and female home-buyers seeking mortgages, to an indication of
discriminatory practices against would-be mortgage-holders who are pregnant or on maternity
leave. 64 Encouraging female entrepreneurs, ensuring that the UK’s high street banks are
providing fair access to credit for applicants regardless of their gender, and mitigating against
stereotyping in lending practices are duties for the Government and the banks themselves. 65
Discriminatory practices have been reported 66 by many of the UK’s largest high street banks
which include cases where the bank disregarded a woman’s own statement that she would
return to work after her maternity leave, instead making the decision on her behalf that they
‘could not be sure she would be committed to her job’ after giving birth even though most UK
women return to work within six months. 67 It is even common practice to ask employers for a
statement when they certify the date that a woman is going to come back from maternity leave.
Considering maternity regulations in the UK, such statements are very difficult to obtain.
Poverty
Poverty has significant long-term impacts on people’s overall health and wellbeing that also
raises human rights issues. 68 Women are already at greater risk of poverty than men 69 and are
more likely to suffer recurrent and longer spells of poverty (22% of women have a persistent
low-income compared to 14% of men 70 ), which negatively impacts their physical and mental
health. (See Article 12) There is plenty of recent research about the feminisation of poverty
which is now an undeniable reality. 71 Women are the main ‘shock absorbers’ of poverty of
households 72 and feel the pressures of managing on a low budget most. Single parent families,
the vast majority of whom are women, are more likely to be below the poverty line. Government
figures show that women are slightly more likely than men to live in a poor household (21%
against 20% 73 ), although this does not consider the distribution of resources within households,
since all poverty figures are collected at the household level. From what we know about the
62. Women’s Budget Group (2012) The Impact on Women of the Autumn Financial Statement 2011. WBG: London http://wbg.org.uk/pdfs/The-
Impact-on-Women-of-the-AFS-2011.pdf
63. Women’s Budget Group (2012) The Impact on Women of the Autumn Financial Statement 2011. WBG: London http://wbg.org.uk/pdfs/The-
Impact-on-Women-of-the-AFS-2011.pdf
64. Hertz, N. (2011) Women and Banks: are female customers facing discrimination? IPPR: London http://www.ippr.org/publications/55/8186/
women-and-banks-are-female-customers-facing-discrimination
65. McRobie, H. (2012) ‘Don’t bank on gender equality from the UK high street’ Open Democracy, 22nd June 2012 http://www.opendemocracy.
net/5050/heather-mcrobie/don%E2%80%99t-bank-on-gender-equality-from-uk-high-street
66. Mumsnet http://www.mumsnet.com/ Accessed: 15/04/12
67. McRobie, H. (2012) ‘Don’t bank on gender equality from the UK high street’ Open Democracy, 22nd June 2012 http://www.opendemocracy.
net/5050/heather-mcrobie/don%E2%80%99t-bank-on-gender-equality-from-uk-high-street
68. British Institute of Human Rights, Poverty and Human Rights Project 2009-2011 http://www.bihr.org.uk/projects/poverty Accessed:
13/04/13
69. Women’s Budget Group (2005) Women’s and Children’s Poverty: Making the links. WBG: London http://www.wbg.org.uk/documents/
WBGWomensandchildrenspoverty.pdf
70. The Fawcett Society (2007) Women and Money: a briefing. Fawcett: London
71. Donald, K. (2012) ‘The feminisation of poverty and the myth of the ‘welfare queen’’, Open Democracy, 6th March 2012 http://www.
opendemocracy.net/5050/kate-donald/feminisation-of-poverty-and-myth-of-welfare-queen
72. Women’s Budget Group (2005) Women’s and Children’s Poverty: Making the links. WBG: London http://www.wbg.org.uk/documents/
WBGWomensandchildrenspoverty.pdf
73. Department for Work and Pensions (2011) Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution 1994/5-2009/10.
DWP: London http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2010/pdf_files/full_hbai11.pdf
138 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013