Member Article

Women still disadvantaged at work

Over half of female employees are working below their potential, according to research into gender and work by Sheffield Hallam University.The study found that 1.4 million unemployed women want to work, but are often barred from the job market as they lack support and cannot find decent jobs flexible enough to meet their needs. Policy makers are advised to do more to smooth the transition back into employment for those who have had a career break or need to update their skills or gain experience. The proportion of working age women who are graduates has risen strongly - with a very marked rise for Indian, Pakistani and Black Caribbean women aged 25-44 – yet this is often not reflected in their position in the labour marketProfessor Sue Yeandle, leader of the research said: “This far reaching study shows that women from every walk of life are finding that their workplaces do not meet their needs and that their gender affects the jobs that are available to them and their prospects for the future. “Some women are still struggling to get into the labour market even though many employers are crying out for job applicants and reporting skills shortages. “If the national economy is to continue to prosper, then the skills, talent and enthusiasm of half its population cannot continue to be under-utilised in this way. We must move on from an employment system designed for the last century.“Jenny Watson, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said, “These findings show that women are still facing many obstacles in the workplace and often end up in low paid, low prospect work despite being well qualified, especially when they want to work flexibly. There’s a real opportunity for all us here. If the pay gap were closed, the Women and Work Commission estimates up to £23 billion could be added to the economy per year. It’s particularly important to open up higher paid work to people who want to work flexibly so that they don’t have to “trade down” to find the working style they need and employers don’t have to lose out on their skills and experience. The EOC’s ongoing investigation into transforming the workplace is looking, with employers, at how to do this.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .