Theme H7.4 Pillar 4 – Equal opportunities Theme H: Reducing gender gaps and supporting job desegregation. Strategic objective - To identify ways of reducing the gender pay gap and supporting job desegregation.
Policy rationale Every Member State of the European Union, experiences a gender pay gap, in a number of cases, wider than the UK. Occupational segregation (seeing jobs as ‘men’s jobs’ or ‘women’s jobs’) is also recognised as a problem throughout the EU. More women than men are ‘carers’ and their patterns of caring differ to that of men. The hidden cost of caring is the tendency of those with caring responsibilities to either work part-time or withdraw from the labour market. This has a negative impact on current rates of earning, future employability, earning power and pensions. It also pushes some women into low-paid, lower level, non-manual, ‘women’s’ occupations. For women in higher-paid sectors, family responsibilities can delay progression and prevent women from breaking through the glass ceiling. However, recent tax concessions, the take-up of family-friendly statutory rights, increased childcare provision and employer-assisted schemes can support women in making a wider range of career choices. The gender pay gap The most common way of describing the gender pay gap is as a percentage difference between average hourly earnings of men and women working full time. Using this definition, the gender pay gap in Great Britain is 18%, according to the ‘Just Pay’ report produced for the Equal Opportunities Commission in 2001. Among reasons for unequal pay, research has highlighted the role of gender segregation in employment, as set out in the Equal CIP. The Government is aware that there are no ‘quick fixes’ for the pay gap or for occupational segregation any more than there are for improving the skills of the workforce in general. So it is important to: - remove barriers to girls’ and women’s employment choices;
- discourage girls and women from making choices in education and career which will limit their financial rewards;
- prohibit overt or covert discrimination; and
- respect individuals’ choices.
Vertical and horizontal job segregation The segregation of occupations can be divided in terms of ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ segregation. Vertical segregation, known more commonly as the ‘glass ceiling’, serves as an invisible barrier to women’s progression to more senior levels. Statistics back this up: less than 10% of directors in British companies are women, and women make up only 30% of management positions (excluding directors). Horizontal segregation is channeling women into certain occupations and industries, often low paying, with limited career opportunities. For example, in the UK, women comprise 69% or more of administrative and secretarial occupations, personal service, and sales and customer service occupations, while men make up 69% or more of managers and senior officials, skilled trades, and process, plant and machine operatives. Tackling the gender imbalance is a key issue in the Government’s drive to overcome skill shortages in IT, electronics and communications (ITEC) occupations. Women are significantly under-represented across these occupational roles, often deterred by either gender stereotyping that pressures women into occupations that are not science or technology based or through the sometimes negative images that surround jobs in these sectors. The Government is working with industry, education providers, sector skills councils and other key bodies to provide a positive image to women of careers in ITEC and to help industry introduce recruitment, training and retention policies that support women in their careers. The Government is also working to encourage women to take part in science, engineering and technology (SET). For more information on the policy background and issues related to women in the labour market, please go to the Women and Equality Unit and Equal Opportunities Commission websites at: www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/ and www.eoc.org.uk/ For more information on activities undertaken in Scotland under this theme visit 2nd Round Approved DPs and Ist Round Approved DPs
Theme H |