GENDER

40 years after the Equal Pay Act. Are there equal opportunities?

The Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act incorporates all previous Equalities legislation.

What’s new?

Be introduced for the first time: The legislation will enable employers to favour under-represented groups during the recruitment process – provided the candidates are of equal suitability – to increase the diversity of their workforces. This is comparable to the affirmative action programmes of the USA.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission

Trevor Phillips, chair of EHRC

The EHRC hopes to “mainstream” equalities law in organisations across the range of discriminations.

Is the new, tougher, legislation necessary to overcome inequalities or has “political correctness gone too far”?

HAS THE 2010 EQUALITY ACT GONE TOO FAR?

The Equality Bill

Latest figures:• 10% difference in male and female median FT hourly wage• -5.6% gap in PT hourly wage (so PT women are paid MORE)• BUT overall pay gap is 19.5%

“At the current rate, it will take at least

another two decades to close the pay gap.

Women who work full time will earn on

average £330,000 less than a man over their

working lives – that’s the price of a family

home. It’s amazing that we still think this

is something that a decent society can live with”

Trevor Phillips, Chair of Equality and

Human Rights Commission

THE PAY GAP

Girls and young women are outperforming males at all educational levels. They are moving into an expanding range of occupations, and building successful careers. The gender pay gap is narrowing. But for many this all comes to an abrupt halt when childcare comes into the working week.

Mary Gregory, Oxford University

THE GLASS CEILING

ILM found 73% of female workers believe in the glass ceiling but only 38% of males

In 2008, the Royal Economic Society found that professional and managerial women who became mothers moved down the job ladder - 2/3 took clerical or lower skilled jobs.

Straight jacketed: women are disadvantaged by outdated job structures and attitudes.Excluded from power: only 11% of FTSE 100 company directors are women.X chromosome discrimination: every year 30,000 women lose their jobs because they are pregnant.Impoverishment: two-thirds of low paid workers are women.Sexual exploitation: Visiting lap dance clubs has become an increasing way of entertaining business clients.Money gap: Women working full-time earn 17% less than men.

SEXISM AND THE CITY: FAWCETT’S CAMPAIGN

GENDER STEREOTYPING

Some claim that there is a “pink collar” ghetto of low paid occupations.

EHRC report 2009 ‘Staying on’: 3/4 of women still end up in the “5 Cs”Cleaning, catering, caring, cashiering and clerical

Women are stereotyped as carers and men as “breadwinners”.

Those who break these stereotypes, be it men who take caring responsibilities for children or women in traditionally “male” jobs, often encounter social isolation or sexist “banter”.

WORK OF “EQUAL VALUE”

Women are overwhelmingly concentrated in low paid jobs.

Under the Equalities Act, a claim for equal pay may be made by either a woman or a man claiming equal pay with one or more “comparators” of the other sex.

Scottish local authorities have paid out millions to settle claims with female employees who have carried out work of equal value as men, but did not receive equal pay.

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: LAW

Elish Angiolini was the Lord Advocate, Scotland top law officer until May 2011

Morag McLaughlin is head of the Procurator Fiscal service for Lothian and Borders.

Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, QC FRSA, She is a barrister, broadcaster and Labour member of the House of Lords.

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: BUSINESS

“It’s easy to let life’s obstacles stand in the way of your success, instead of seeing every experience as something to learn from.”

Michelle Mone

Co-owner MJM International

Michelle Mone: Successful Businesswoman

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: BUSINESS

“More well-qualified women are now coming up through the ranks. We will therefore see a radical change over the next generation as those who previously had limited opportunities and exposure in the business arena can now make the next step on the career ladder.”

Nosheena Mobarik, Chair, CBI Scotland (from September 2011)

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: THE POLICE

“I’ve been involved in policing since the age of 16 and I have done a variety of jobs in different roles. At no time have I felt I have been subject to any direct or indirect sexism.”

Norma Graham, Chief Constable, Fife Constabulary

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: TRANSPORT

“I took on this role because I am driven to succeed. I am my own worst critic and have always worked in a male-dominated environment so I don't know any different.”

Mary Grant,Former Managing Director, First Scotrail

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: POLITICS

Nicola Sturgeon and Fiona Hyslop are in the Scottish Cabinet.

Caroline Lucas is the Green Party’s first MP.

But Caroline Flint resigned from the Gordon Brown UK Cabinet in 2009 claiming used female members as “window dressing”.

Caroline Flint accuses the Prime Minister

A REPRESENTATIVE PARLIAMENT?

Just 21.5% of MPs are female. The number of Labour women has fallen from 94 to below 80 – about 30% of Labour MPs. The number of Conservative women has risen from 18 to about 48 – about 16% of  Conservative MPs. The number of Liberal Democrat women has fallen from 9 to 7 – about 13% of Liberal Democrat MPs. The number of SNP MPs stayed the same, 1, 16.7%.

Louise Bagshawe, Conservative, Corby Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat, East Dunbartonshire.

Task • Now read p41-46 of Modern UK Social Issues and take notes relating to the first 6 bullet points on p49 (do not go onto gender health inequalities at this stage)