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08 Mar 2021
by Felicia Willow

IWD 2021: Why gender equality is more important than ever

International Women’s Day 2021 feels a little different from years gone by. It’s usually a celebration of how far gender equality has come. But this year, the celebrations are tainted by a preceding year in which gender equality has been pushed back decades by the Covid pandemic.

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Gender equality is not only right, it’s also good for business. McKinsey data shows that closing the gender pay gap will benefit the economy to the tune of £150 billion. McKinsey has also demonstrated that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile, according to its Diversity wins: How inclusion matters (2020) report.

In 2019, the Office for National Statistics found that three in four mothers with dependent children were in work in the UK. This was the result of extensive effort across decades – working mothers are good for the economy. But where will we be in 2022, or 2030?

The Covid pandemic has changed our world, and gender equality has been a major casualty. When push came to shove, we saw that the burdens created by the pandemic fell more heavily on women, and the repercussions of this in the workplace may be evident for years to come.  

Women have not been considered in the UK’s pandemic policy response and have been largely absent from the decision-making table – whether in key advisory roles, delivering a government briefing or in the SAGE Advisory Committee.

Since March 2020, Fawcett has been running the #MakeWomenVisible campaign, which included extensive research aimed at understanding how the pandemic and its policy response impacted on women and work. We also analysed how intersecting characteristics such as race, religion, caring responsibilities and disabilities further increased the negative impacts experienced.

Some of the findings we’ve highlighted around equality in the workplace include that:

  • women have been furloughed at higher rates than men 
  • 58% of mothers said it's "mostly me" who is responsible for childcare (23% of fathers) and one in three working mothers have lost work or hours due to childcare
  • 43% of working women and 50% of working Black, Asian and minority ethnic women are worried about their job or promotion prospects
  • Women are disproportionately represented in retail and hospitality, which have suffered the most from lockdown closures
  • Women make up four out of five care workers: the frontline of the pandemic
  • Mothers on the lowest incomes are eight times more likely to have lost their jobs due to school closures.

The pandemic has been devastating for working women, but it’s not over yet. There could be worse ahead if urgent action is not taken. There are four major fears facing women in the workplace going forward.  

Fear one: The gender pay gap widens due to all the inequalities suffered by women throughout the pandemic.

In February 2021, the Equality and Human Rights Commission confirmed it would enforce gender pay gap reporting this year, although employers have until October to submit. The UK government must introduce the Right to Know for suspected equal pay claims and strengthen gender pay gap reporting. Meanwhile, employers should use transparent salary banding and report their gender and ethnicity pay gaps (and accompanying action plans) as soon as possible.

Fear two: Women experience growing discrimination at work including through redundancies.

There is a potential correlation between furlough and redundancies, which is likely to translate into more women being made redundant. We need legislation to properly protect pregnant women and new mothers from redundancy, and to require employers to report sex disaggregated redundancies data. Employers should ensure that they are making redundancies fairly and avoid discrimination in any redundancy decisions.

Fear three: The childcare sector collapses and gender inequality widens.

The pandemic has uncovered how women bear the burden of childcare when suppliers close. Childcare is essential for our economy and women will struggle to return to the workplace without it. 95% of all childcare workers are women, and the sector is in crisis. We need a government bailout fund for the childcare sector and long term investment. Employers should ensure they are family-friendly to all parents, offering enhanced parental leave and flexible working to all staff wherever possible.

Fear four: Jobs in women-dominated sectors are lost long-term.

We have seen investment in construction this year, but inadequate support for sectors where women are more likely to work. All government decisions – such as the job support scheme – should be accompanied by Equality Impact Assessments and policies should be amended to ensure they work for women.

Without concerted efforts by the UK government and employers, the future looks bleak. So, this International Women’s Day, we must all focus our efforts on ensuring we don’t lose the progress of the past as women face an uncertain future.

The author is Felicia Willow, chief executive of The Fawcett Society.

This article is provided by The Fawcett Society.