BRITAIN’S new equality chief has warned that mothers face more discrimination
in work than any other group, including the disabled and the poorest ethnic
minorities.
Trevor Phillips, in his first big policy announcement, is expected to propose
sweeping “family friendly” laws and practices.
He supports the introduction of “annualised hours contracts”, allowing women
to take entire weeks off work, if they make up the hours during the rest of
the year. His report also recommends much wider use of job-sharing and
childcare facilities.
The proposals are likely to anger business chiefs who fear such changes would
undermine their competitiveness by imposing extra red tape and expensive
employee rights.
Phillips will publish research showing that mothers with children under 11 are
45% less likely to be employed than men, according to the Equalities Review.
Single mothers suffer an even greater penalty — the figure for them is 49%.
Even when the children are older than 11, married women or those with partners
suffer a 25% disadvantage compared with men in the same situation.
By comparison, the next most disadvantaged groups in Britain are Pakistani and
Bangladeshi women, with a 30% disadvantage, and disabled people, at 29%.
Phillips said: “We’ve got to stop forcing women to choose between being a
mother and taking a job. It’s not fair and in the end it’s going to be
catastrophic for us as a society.”
Tony Blair appointed Phillips two years ago to chair the Equalities Review,
and will be presented with the report on Wednesday.
It will also set the framework for the new equality “superquango”, the
Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR), which begins work in
October, and which Phillips will chair. The £70m a year superquango will
combine the previous roles of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal
Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission. It will also
address the rights of gays and lesbians.
Phillips, a close ally of Blair, stressed that his report was not an attack on
new Labour policies. But the study, to be published this week, will be
seized on by critics as a thinly veiled attack on the government for failing
to meet its manifesto commitments of delivering a fairer and more equal
society.
It says progress in parliament to tackle inequality and discrimination has
been “piecemeal” and asserts that government and other initiatives “have run
out of steam”.
The report, which also criticises business leaders, states that inequality is
costing society billions of pounds a year in lost tax revenue and welfare
benefits. Discrimination against women at work is running at between £15
billion and £23 billion a year — or between 1.3% and 2% of gross
domestic product.
Phillips warned that unless the government and the private sector acted now,
the economic consequences would be “catastrophic”. He added: “There is one
fact that above all else leads to women’s inequality in the labour market —
becoming a mother.
“In an increasingly competitive world economy we simply can’t afford to shut
mothers out of jobs. Where are the people who are going to fill the jobs, to
expand the companies and to create the wealth?”
While some of those women may choose to stay at home, the report cautions
against assuming they do not wish to work. They may not have a choice, it
says, because of obstacles such as the exhausting nature of trying to work
and have a family.
Blair asked Phillips to examine the “chronic and persistent” inequalities in
British society. The report identifies other significantly disadvantaged
groups. These include poor black Caribbean children, especially boys;
children from other ethnic minority groups; older women with low levels of
education; and disabled people.
Phillips said past action by government to improve inequality had been
“piecemeal [and] . . . there are now clear signs that this approach had run
out of steam”.
His review recommends more flexible working hours, job sharing and childcare
facilities in the public and private sectors. Phillips says he favours the
much wider use of “annualised hours contracts” which would give women the
opportunity to vary the number of hours they work in any given week,
allowing them to take entire “default weeks” off work.
The practice, says Phillips, has been used successfully for senior managers in
some large corporations. A new law would impose a “single duty” on public
sector bodies to ensure equal treatment of all groups, including women,
ethnic minorities, gays, and disabled workers.
At the moment all employers are subject to a range of different acts that can
be confusing, complex and difficult to enforce. Public bodies would be
forced to make a senior manager, preferably the chief executive, accountable
to the board for implementing equality targets.
I am a single Mother to a two year old, after completing my degree I decided to change my career path so it was more condusive to raising my child. After struggling to gain employment I was discriminated against as a single Mum and My employer terminated my contract after 5 months as I had to take one day off to look after my very ill child. I truely believed that in todays society single mums would not be treated in this manner, however it is those who moan about single Mothers not working who fire you when an emergence accures!
Its all fine and well asking for flexable working patterns etc and making that manditory however who is going to enforce it because after my recent expieriance the law is not being adeered to now! Why will it be then?
C, Liverpool,
I am a single mother of two school age children and apart from maternity leave, I have always worked. The hardest part of being a working Mum is the discrimination in some workplaces that you have to endure. The raised eyebrows and mutterings from your colleagues when you can't quite make that early meeting due to the school run! No one who does not have children can possibly begin to understand the pressures we are under in order to provide a better life for our children. I work for Britains Police force and I have to put up with this constantly, and thats before I have even hit the streets to try and make a better place for others to live in! Also in the last eight months I have never had a day off sick or for the children, however I work alongside many youngsters who couldn't quite make it in due to the self inflicted hangover! I love my job and am 100% committed.....All I ask for is for some recognition from time to time from my employer.
Sarah, southampton,
Re: Gordon's comments, as a working mother I believe flexible working should be available to all, regardless of whether or not they have children. However, ten years of working part time has irrevocably damaged my career prospects. I find myself stuck on the 'mummy track' with no prsopect of getting back onto a career path. I am now managed by people with a fraction of my experience and skills.
T, Surrey,
If UK businesses want to remain competitive, and have the biggest pool of potential employees, then surely they can’t afford to ignore the significant segment of candidates that mothers with young children make up? Research by YouGov found that if just 10% of non-working mothers returned to work after maternity leave, employers could save up to £39 million a year in recruitment costs alone and reduce turnover rates.
Also, why not make flexible working, if appropriate, available to the whole workforce? Technology is making flexible working a real possibility. Virtual, collaborative communications, such as web meetings and online workspaces, allow people to easily work from home with all the accessibility of being at the office. Then everyone can spend more time with their families and create a healthier work/life balance.
Kate Milner, Amsterdam,
Surely it is discrimination on people without children that they do not get the option of all these flexible hours?
Life isn't fair! Arbitary re-allocations of power do not change that.
Gordon, Edinburgh, UK
I am fascinated and appalled that Trevor Phillips, Britain’s new equality chief, has, “warned that mothers face more discrimination in work than any other group, including the disabled and the poorest ethnic minorities”, (Mothers face most discrimination, 25 February 2007). Fascinated that neither your article nor he has made any mention whatsoever of that other group of people, the over 50’s, who face, and have faced for at least the last decade, considerable discrimination in the recruitment process and in the workplace in UK Plc and despite the introduction, on 01 October 2006, of legislation banning age discrimination. The latest survey by Age Concern, and reported on 23 February 2007, indicates that “Ageism is the most common form of discrimination in the UK”, and that, “Of all the individual instances of discrimination, 41% relate to age; this rises to 56% of all instances of discrimination for people over 55.” I think Trevor Phillips needs to go back to the drawing board and do a little more research.
Kenneth Armitage, Suffolk, England
But nothing changes the fact that children get ill, have prizegivings, sports days, long school holidays then Mum needs to take time off that might not suit the workplace.
There's no getting round this.
(I was a Mum of three who worked part-time but there were still very difficult times)
Anne, Wyoming, USA
Sadly most of this was predicted when the maternity rights legislation was being introduced. Now, because it didn't work as intended, the solution put forward is to repeat the action. Repeating it won't work either. The imposition of jolly good ideas on businesses by people who don't understand business will not work. If you have a jolly good idea you need to discuss it with those you affected, to see if it will work, not make a grandstanding announcement. You never know, business people who deal with problems daily, might actually have solutions that work, rather than ivory tower blue sky gazing.
Bill , Belfast, N.I.