We were delighted to be featured in the Yorkshire Post.
Director Zoë Haydn Jones wrote a first-person piece on gender equality in the workplace: Read the article here.
Here are some points Zoë discusses in the article.
- Gender inequality in the workplace continues to be a significant issue, obstructing the path to equality and negatively affecting women’s careers and well-being.
- Despite some progress, women still face hurdles, including unconscious bias, gender bias, and assumptions about their skills and suitability for specific roles.
- The 2023 Women at Work survey by Jobs for Women shows 64% of women experienced unconscious bias and microaggressions, 47% were mistaken for a junior role, and over 75% had their authority questioned.
- The survey also revealed microaggressions relating to gender and race, including sexual harassment, gender stereotype language, and misogynistic and racist comments, which often worsened after childbirth.
- There is significant gender pay gap with women earning less than men. Equal Pay Day is recognized on 20th November to highlight this discrepancy. The UK’s median gender pay gap has been at 9.4% for five years, with 80% of companies paying men more.
- The pay gap was further exacerbated by the pandemic, with many women leaving jobs, reducing work hours, or taking unpaid leave due to childcare responsibilities.
- Women are leaving the workforce due to health issues related to periods, menopause and childbirth, which are not adequately recognized or supported.
- Employers need to commit to equal pay, equal opportunities, flexibility in work schedules, no tolerance for discrimination and harassment, and paid parental leave to foster a supportive work culture for women.
- Societal beliefs, such as the notion that women cannot balance motherhood and a successful career, contribute to the problem.
- Research indicates that companies with female CEOs are more profitable. However, there’s still a lack of women in leadership, with only nine female CEOs in the FTSE100.
- Organisations that employ more women, especially in leadership positions and early careers, tend to be more profitable, innovative, and diverse.
- The article encourages companies to take proactive steps toward achieving gender equality in the workplace and invites partnerships to help reach this goal.