Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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7.11 7.12 • patriarchal structures and attitudes within Muslim communities • Government policies impacting on Muslim communities. There is fear that Islamophobia is affecting entire Muslim communities and that some are becoming increasingly marginalised as ‘preventing violent extremism’ has become the sole basis for the Government to invite Muslim women into civic and political arenas. 25 Case study: 26 “One of the greatest issues affecting me is the government’s constant admonishing of the Muslim community, for either being extremist or supporting extremism.” Support mechanisms that do exist for Muslim women to gain confidence in undertaking employment, further/higher education, being active in civic and political life etc. are at risk of being dismantled. Where women do find positions of power and influence it is more likely to be in the public and voluntary sectors 27 which are facing cuts. The Government cannot rely on women being ‘changers of society’ through sheer good will. Those already at the front-line of providing services (voluntarily) that should really be within the Government’s remit, are constrained by capacity issues. 28 (See Appendix: 4 for further information) Case study: 29 “The issues affecting me and other Muslim women on a daily basis are Islamophobia, particularly around hijab and niqab, discrimination due to race, faith and gender, particularly when going for interviews for jobs.” Recommendation: Political parties should set diversity targets for increasing women’s representation and in particular increasing the representation of lesbian and bisexual women; BAME women; women from lower socio-economic backgrounds; younger and older women and disabled women by 2020 Speaker’s Conference The Speaker’s Conference report, 30 published in January 2010, made a number of recommendations to improve the workings of Parliament and its effect on women’s representation. We have seen progress against some of these, specifically: • the Government held a parliamentary debate on the issue of women’s representation in January 2012; and, • in July 2012, MPs voted to change current sitting hours in Westminster. MPs voted in favour of proceedings beginning earlier on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with business beginning at 11.30am and 9.30am respectively. 25. Muslim Women’s Network UK (2011) Muslim Women: Political and Civic Engagement in the UK. MWNUK, University of Warwick and The Economic Social Research Council http://mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/downloads/MWNUK-Booklet-website.pdf 26. Muslim Women’s Network UK (2011) Muslim Women: Political and Civic Engagement in the UK. MWNUK, University of Warwick and The Economic Social Research Council http://mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/downloads/MWNUK-Booklet-website.pdf 27. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2011) Sex and Power 2011. EHRC: London http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/key-projects/ sexandpower/ 28. Muslim Women’s Network UK (2011) Muslim Women: Political and Civic Engagement in the UK. MWNUK, University of Warwick and The Economic Social Research Council http://mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/downloads/MWNUK-Booklet-website.pdf 29. Muslim Women’s Network UK (2011) Muslim Women: Political and Civic Engagement in the UK. MWNUK, University of Warwick and The Economic Social Research Council http://mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/downloads/MWNUK-Booklet-website.pdf 30. House of Commons (2010) Speakers Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ spconf/239/239i.pdf 64 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013
7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 Recommendation: The Government should commit to implementing the full set of recommendations from the Speaker’s Conference report and take action to ensure that all political parties implement the recommendations of the report within agreed timescales Increasing the number of women in public and corporate life It will take 70 years to achieve gender-balanced boardrooms in the UK. The 2011 Lord Davies Report Women on Boards calculated if one third of the FTSE 100 board appointments were given to women between 2011-2015, from a starting point of 12.5% female directors, a figure of 23.5% could be achieved across the FTSE 100 by 2015. 31 (See Article 11 for more information) The percentage of female held directorships on FTSE 100 boards in 2013 is 17.3 % and on FTSE 250 boards is 13.3 %. 32 Latest data show between April 2012 – April 2013, in the first six months, a pace of change which was extremely encouraging with 44% of new appointments going to women on FTSE 100 companies and 36% on FTSE 250. However, those high levels were shortlived and over the last six months they dropped to 26% and 29% respectively, thus showing a considerable gap from the 33% required to reach 25% women on boards by 2015. 33 In terms of women’s representation in positions of power in public life, 32% of the general UK workforce (managers, directors and senior officials) are female; 34 36.4% public appointments are given to women; 14.2% vice chancellors are female. 35 Outdated working patterns and inflexible organisations continue to be major barriers to women’s participation in positions of authority. 36 The Government is confident that the voluntary, business-led approach to increasing the representation of women is working so there is no need to follow the example of Norway 37 and others and legislate on this issue. The Davies Report noted however that Government may need to introduce more prescriptive alternatives if the voluntary approach does not achieve significant change. Although there is evidence that women’s representation in the top levels of companies has improved since 2011, the latest Cranfield report 38 highlights that whilst the voluntary approach has delivered some improvements, progress on women’s representation in the corporate sector is stalling. The case for harnessing the power of female leadership in UK business is incontestable. The case for the economy is equally robust, given that the UK stands to gain £23bn by better 31. Davies, E. M (2011) Women on Boards. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/ docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf 32. Sealy, R. and Vinnicombe, S. (2013) The Female FTSE Board Report 2013: False dawn of progress for women on boards? Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamic-content/media/Research/Research%20Centres/ CICWL/FTSEReport2013.pdf 33. Macleod, M. (2013) ‘FTSE 100 chiefs probed over lack of women on boards’, The Telegraph, 21st January 2013 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ women/womens-business/9815468/Women-on-boards-CEOs-probed-over-lack-of-female-executives.html 34. Institute of Leadership and Management (2012) Women in Banking. http://www.i-l-m.com/downloads/Research_womeninbanking_ march12.pdf 35. Holt, G. (2012) ‘Women hold fewer than third of top jobs – BBC research’, BBC News UK, 29th May 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk- 18187449 36. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2011) Sex and Power 2011. EHRC: London http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/key-projects/ sexandpower/ 37. As a result of quota legislation, Norway has 37.9% women on boards and since January 2010 listed companies in Finland must have at least one woman on the board. 38. Sealy, R. and Vinnicombe, S. (2013) The Female FTSE Board Report 2013: False dawn of progress for women on boards? Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamic-content/media/Research/Research%20Centres/ CICWL/FTSEReport2013.pdf Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 65
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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
Page 13 and 14: investment in social infrastructure
Page 15 and 16: and increase the marginalisation of
Page 17 and 18: have been no prosecutions in Englan
Page 19 and 20: 1 2 3 4 5 Introduction This is a Un
Page 21 and 22: 10 11 12 13 housing crisis, a ‘lo
Page 23 and 24: 1.1 1.2 1.3 Article 1 - Overarching
Page 25 and 26: 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Women’
Page 27 and 28: 1.17 1.18 1.19 Young women We are a
Page 29 and 30: 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 consult to “remov
Page 31 and 32: 2.12 2.13 discrimination”. Howeve
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Page 35 and 36: 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 CEDAW and the l
Page 37 and 38: 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 would “increase
Page 39 and 40: 3.15 3.16 3.17 and accountable EHRC
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Page 63: 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 The House of Lords
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12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 Barriers to
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12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 Gypsy and T
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12.34 12.35 12.36 12.37 Older women
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12.41 12.42 Recommendations: • Th
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12.47 12.48 12.49 12.50 they are at
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12.55 12.56 12.57 Case studies: 128
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12.60 12.61 12.62 12.63 12.64 hospi
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13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Article 13
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13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 Welfare ref
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13.32 13.33 Case study: 57 “As a
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13.36 13.37 allocation of resources
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13.41 13.42 Homelessness, including
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13.47 13.48 BME women would be left
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14.6 14.7 14.8 disabled and lesbian
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14.14 Gypsy and Traveller women suf
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15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10 15.11 The
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15.14 15.15 15.16 purport to be vic
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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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