More women are in positions of power than ever before, but there remains some concerning statistics when it comes to gender equality in the UK.
Workplace Gender Equality in the UK
Fighting against gender inequality will result in greater employee retention rate and a diverse workforce – and there are many ways to push towards equality. Some of which includes:
- Flexible working
- Equal pay
- Implementing dignity and respect
- Push policies on parental leave
Having these policies in place will support equality and fight against the growing statistics about gender inequality in the workplace. Many employers could risk the female talent on their team if they disregard complaints of harassment or equal opportunity.
If someone experiences bullying or harassment at work they’re likely to feel uncomfortable at work and potentially make the decision to leave the business. It is important for all members of the leadership team to push equality and equal opportunity.
Gender Equality Statistics
Gender equality is something that the UK continues to work towards, and although we are currently more progressive than ever before, there is still a long way to go, and some facts that are still valid today are shocking.
The Gender Pay Gap in the UK was recorded at over 8%
HM Government’s Gender Equality Monitor was updated in 2018, of which it was clear that there had been a decrease from the year prior. However, despite this decrease, the gender pay gap was still recorded at 8.6%, down from 9.1% in 2017 – this applied to employees working in full time employment. This is apparent from more than just full-time workers, with single male pensioners – above state pension age – having a higher average weekly income than females in 2017/18; the income sat at £233 for men compared to £206 for women.
Employment rate for women with dependent children is 74%
…compared to the 93% employment rate for men with dependent children. The age of dependents is children under the age of 18, and the rate is even lower for mothers with young children. Meanwhile, the employment rate for fathers is mostly unaffected by the age of their children, growing from 91.3% to 94.1%. For mothers, the rate of employment increases from 64.9% to 82.3% as their children get older.
Women carry out more hours of unpaid work in most sectors
Across most industries, excluding travel, women carry out a significant amount of unpaid work in most sectors. In 2016, the Office of National Statistics estimated the value of unpaid work in the UK economy at £1.24 trillion – of which, £352 billion was from childcare. The statistics revealed that in the amount of unpaid work done each week, women spent 7.2 hours cooking compared to men’s 3.65 hours. When it came to child care statistics, women spent on average 4.65 hours, whereas men spent 1.89 hours per week carrying out the unpaid work.
Only 17% of SMEs are majority led by women
Reports by HMRC suggest that a staggeringly low 17% of small businesses were majority led by women – which means it was controlled by a single woman or having a management team of which a majority were women. Of these, only 1% of venture funding goes to businesses founded by all-female teams. There is a significant difference between the 43% of SMEs which are entirely male-led. In the same report, it was recognised that 23% of businesses with no employees were majority-led by women.
Only 32% of UK MPs are women
In the last general election – in 2019 – 220 women were elected to sit in the House of Commons, an increase by 12 women from the previous government, making 32% of the house female. The number of women in public positions isn’t high, or on par, excluding the number of head teachers in nurseries and primary schools, which is 72.8%. Meanwhile, only 37.8% of secondary school headteachers are women. Approximately 30% of police officers are female and around 29% of court judges.
Famous Quotes on Gender Equality in the Workplace
Sheryl Sandberg once said: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” In this statement, Sheryl predicts that as we near equality in the workplace, there will be no shock-factor when a woman is in a position of power. Instead, it will be expected that either men or women could be in power. This will be proven when we see the percentage of female MPs increase to nearer 50%.
Beyonce also once said: “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.” This is an important sentiment because as women, managers, leaders, employees, women must understand that it is possible to succeed and push to be in powerful positions. Therefore, once women believe in themselves, the support truly starts. All women need to rally together to support one another and push for the growth of women as colleagues and peers.
If your organisation is looking to try harder to ensure greater equality in the workplace, ICENA offers a great consultancy service to help your organisation with its policies.
