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International Women’s Day 2023

Group of women

Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), and communities worldwide are celebrating women’s achievements and pointing out areas where inequality and prejudice remain. In Coventry, Now Network is hosting an event at The Maudslay Hotel where attendees can listen to the challenges and the triumphs of the Suffragettes. The University of Warwick’s Social Inclusion Group is also hosting a series of events to mark the day under this year’s IWD theme #EmbraceEquity

Recent developments concerning workplace equality for women

There have been several recent developments in employment law concerning improving workplace equality for women, including:

  • On 6 March 2023, Helen Tomlinson, Head of Talent (UK & Ireland) at The Adecco Group, was appointed to the independent, voluntary role of Menopause Champion by the Department for Work and Pensions. She will collaborate with the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, focusing on encouraging employers to develop menopause policies to create more supportive environments to help women experiencing menopause stay and progress in their careers.
  • The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has published new statutory guidance for employers on gender pay gap reporting. It sets out who has to report their data, how to prepare calculations and the report itself, and the consequences for not reporting. Analysis of previous reports shows that the gender pay gap, as it stands, is resulting in women working 54 days a year for free.
  • EU/EEA Member States had until 2022 to implement the Work-life Balance Directive, which aims, amongst other goals, to address women’s under-representation in the labour market. Although the UK does not have to implement the Directive, it has pledged to table legislation in Parliament to match the rights provided.

#Embraceequity  – moving beyond equality

This year’s IWD theme is #embraceequity. Although there have been extraordinarily positive changes in not only legislation but also in employers’ commitment to gender equality in the workplace over the past decades, there are still significant challenges facing women, particularly those with disabilities and ethnic minorities, to genuinely acquire an equal opportunity to succeed in their chosen profession.

These challenges can crop up in ways that the media and the general public usually miss. For example, when Wasps went into administration following a winding-up order from HM Revenue and Customs for £2 million in unpaid tax, the rugby arm was saved (although the team no longer have a home pitch) and not netball, despite the latter sport being profitable.

Another blow came via the Government’s response to the independent report commissioned by the Minister for Employment entitled Menopause and employment: how to enable fulfilling working lives. The response confirms that no plans exist to change the Equality Act 2010 to make menopause a protected characteristic or implement a combined discrimination provision.

The above examples illustrate that equality is too broad a brush to create an equal workplace. It has long been recognised that women’s sports are under-publicised, under-funded, and receive less coverage than men’s competitions. And menopause can cripple some women’s ability to perform to the level they would wish in their careers. These issues cannot be fixed with simple equality-based actions; legislation and workplace policies and procedures need to implement equity measures. An example is employers providing cool, quiet rooms for menopausal women who need to rest occasionally and sports clubs channelling additional marketing funds into their women’s sports.

Equality has brought us a long way, and equity is now required to ensure women can embrace everything their career offers and employers can fully utilise women’s talent and skills.

To talk to us about any points made in this article, please call us on 02476 231000 or email enquiries@askewslegal.co

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