A Call for Equality

Nearly four decades after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, recent research shows that there is still an unequal gap between the average pay of men and women. A gap that is even wider for women of colour, particularly those who are in part time employment. According to research conducted by the Fawcett Society, one of the biggest contributing factors to this divide is motherhood, as becoming a parent significantly impacts on the wages of women. Motherhood has been estimated to diminish average earnings by approximately one fifth, particularly for those women who have a child under 10 or are parenting alone. Findings show that parenthood has a larger impact on a woman’s employment prospects than any other factor including disability and age. This leads us to the age-old discussion of whether a woman can have it all. Is it still possible to have a family and advance your career at the same time?

Well apparently, this becomes increasingly harder if you are a women of colour, as research conducted in July 2009 shows that employers still appear to feel justified in asking women about their family status, particularly if they are from ethnic minority groups. Statistics show that 14% of all white women and nearly a quarter of ethnic minority women have been asked about their plans of a family in an interview, or asked what their families views of them working are. In such a modern and supposedly progressive era, these results show the extent in which discrimination is entrenched within our society and how it still encroaches on the everyday lives of women of colour.

Another contributing factor to this pay gap is the lack of a work life balance offered by employers. With recent legislation being passed to cut the benefits of mothers who fail to go back to work, there will be an increasing affect on the career prospects of ethnic minority women. If we take the findings from the Fawcett report, women of colour will be disproportionately affected by this, as they have less access to maternity pay, paternity leave and flexible working options, in comparison to other parents. This was also cooperated by The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in their 2009 survey, which found that mothers from African and Caribbean backgrounds had the least access to flexible working, whilst Pakistani and Bangladeshi mothers were especially likely not to be in paid work once they have children.

Whilst unequal pay is a problem that transcends all racial barriers and affects women across the board, there is a need for greater resources to be put in place to encourage flexible working, particular amongst women from ethnic backgrounds. The challenge for the policy makers is to adjust to these new ways of working in a bids to reduce the impact that women’s absence have on their employment prospects. There is an overwhelming need for part-time working to be revolutionised so that women of colour can reintroduce themselves into the labour market and not still be faced with the archaic choice of family or Career.