A mother describes her experience returning to work after having a daughter. She faced barriers like being out of work for five years which hurt her confidence. Finding part-time work was difficult due to competition and jobs requiring full-time hours. Support from an organization helping mothers back to work was empowering. She now works part-time and as a freelancer but wants a job better utilizing her skills. Specialist support is needed for mothers re-entering the workforce to address issues like confidence and identity that act as barriers.

1. Charlotte Sweeney,
Nomura International,
improving gender
representation
Lynne Featherstone MP,
achieving gender balance
in the House
Amanda Spielman, ARK
Schools, overcoming
educational barriers
Kate Green MP,
Labour: an alternative
approach to women’s
employment
Janette Faherty,
Avanta, women in
welfare to work
Helen Crowther,
Inclusion, the impact
of Universal Credit on
women
Jan Morgan
benefits and personal
experience of disability
workingbriefExchanging knowledge for shared benefit Issue 227 | spring 2012
Women in work:
What progress equality?

2. Promoting social inclusion
in the labour market
Letters
A mother’s experience of
going back to work
Returning to work after having my daughter has been a journey of
self-development, compromise and challenges. In times of recession,
competition has forced me to rethink how I can get back to meaningful
employment. As an ‘older’ mother with years of work experience,
shifting career paths and further study as a mature student, there didn’t
seem to be options for me.
A qualified social worker, with a degree in social science, I have
worked extensively within social care, predominantly in the charity
sector. I am also experienced within the community arts and education
sector, the result of a decision to make a career change and marry my
old career with a new one. I have had rich experiences in both sectors
at a project-management level. However, I still haven’t been able to
return to work at this level.
Currently my daughter is five, and started school this year. Eighteen
months ago I began to look for part-time work. This hasn’t been easy;
barriers I have faced were five years out of work and a resulting loss
in confidence in my abilities. This led to an identity crisis! What was
I? I felt like ‘just’ a mother, nothing new to offer, unskilled, stuck and
worried that I’d never be able to work again! Although believing that
motherhood is as valuable as (or more valuable than) paid work, I still
dreaded that question ‘What do you do?’, feeling undervalued unless
contributing through paid work.
A ‘Women Like Us’ workshop (an organisation supporting mothers
back to work) involved meeting mothers in the same situation
and receiving advice and support. This was both empowering and
motivating. However, jobs I’ve applied for are highly competitive, and
because of funding cuts, many jobs essentially require full-time work in
part-time hours. Not realistic for me, trying to balance work and family.
I’m now working part time, a freelancer, whilst also taking various
unpaid work. This situation is more positive, opening up new work
opportunities, building new experience while regaining my confidence.
There’s a better work-family balance, but I still hanker after a job where
I can truly utilise my abilities (where I can make a difference) and make
a greater financial contribution to our family.
Many aspects of my experiences are echoed in findings of ‘Working
Mothers’ a recent Women Like Us project I worked on as a peer
researcher, (with small fee and training provided). A barrier to re-
entering work that was mentioned almost unanimously amongst
the participants was a lack of confidence. Age (feeling that younger
applicants have the edge, although less professional experience) and
lack of flexible hours were also mentioned as significant barriers for
mothers returning to work.
“I feel my experience is not valued. I am just older”
(Mother in her 40s)
Also, reflecting my experience, issues of self-image and identity were
significant factors for participants. Asked to express their identity,
many answered ‘just a mum’ or talked about aspirations to be ‘working
mums’.
This is evidence of a need to bolster the confidence of mothers who
have been out of work for some time, so that they can re-identify
Contact
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3. Coming up:
Summer 2012
The economy
issue
Leading thinkers analyse the
country’s labour market
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management and public relations
To subscribe, please email
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In this issue
Cover photo
© Marek Uliasz,
iStockphoto.com
info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 1
Features
6 Charlotte Sweeney
Improving gender representation in
companies
8 Lynne Featherstone MP
Achieving a gender balance in
Parliament
10 Amanda Spielman
Overcoming educational barriers
13 Kate Green MP
Labour’s alternative approach to
women’s employment
18 Janette Faherty
Women, employment and welfare
to work
20 Helen Crowther
Impact of Universal Credit on women
26 Laura Gardiner
Older women in the labour market
27 Lorraine Lanceley
Building a sustainable recruitment
market in London
28 Jan Morgan
Benefits and personal experience of
disability
36 Pippa Lane
Obligations on lone parents to look
for work
Send your letters by email to polly.green@cesi.org.uk.
Please limit letters for publication to 150 words.
Inclusion reserves the right to edit letters.
as ‘working mothers’. I’ve certainly started to redress this balance,
journeying back to work, with support and guidance received being
invaluable for this.
There’s a real need for more specialist employment resources like
Women Like Us, targeting and understanding issues faced by mothers
returning to work. Without services such as these, we could exclude
a vast untapped resource of highly experienced mothers from our
workforce, like me.
Caroline D’Souza
Regulars
2 Dave Simmonds
Female employment: wasted talent,
pragmatic fixes?
5 Dave Simmonds
Work Programme: not a comfortable
time
15 Burning Issue
Is there a role for positive action in
addressing gender representation?
24 Using social media
Karen Clarke
33 Inclusion diary
Recent events, policy contributions
and publications from the Centre for
Economic and Social Inclusion
34 Report reviews
The latest social inclusion publications
shaping policy
37 Stats myth busting
Measuring inactivity: implications for
welfare to work

4. 2 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Viewpoint
Female employment: wasted
talent, pragmatic fixes?
Without creative responses, a weak labour market, higher childcare
costs and some elements of welfare reform are likely to halt long-term
improvement to the employment rate of women, says Dave Simmonds.
never recovered to pre-recession levels.
Every recession has induced a lurch
downwards which has fuelled the long-
term decline of male employment –
falling from 92 per cent in 1971 to 75 per
cent now.
Figure 1 shows how women have
fared better in every recession. In the
1980s, the female employment rate
dropped three per cent while the male
rate dropped 10 per cent and in the
1990s the employment rate of women
dropped 1.5 per cent while that of men
dropped 7.5 per cent.
The male employment rate has
dropped four per cent since the onset
of this recession while the female rate
has dropped 1.7 per cent. However, the
employment gap has widened because
men benefited more from the brief
upturn in 2010. Overall, the employment
gap between men and women has
plunged from 39 per cent in 1971 to 10
per cent today, just above the historic
low of nine per cent in 2010.
The reasons behind these long-
term changes in employment are well
known, for example: the demand for
more equality in work and family;
the changing nature of jobs in the
economy; increased higher education
participation rates by women; more
childcare provision; extra part-time
opportunities in service-sector jobs; and
the need for two-earner households to
lift people out of poverty.
The more difficult analysis is
identifying cause and effect, as well
as the key determinants that support
high levels of women’s employment.
What we do know is that women’s
employment is not just about the
economics of the labour market – other
public policies have as much bearing on
helping or hindering women to work.
More employment, different
burdens
Women’s experience of employment
and unemployment is still very different
Dave Simmonds
is Chief Executive of
Inclusion
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
Male All Female
Jan-M
ar2011
Jan-M
ar2009
Jan-M
ar2007
Jan-M
ar2005
Jan-M
ar2003
Jan-M
ar2001
Jan-M
ar1999
Jan-M
ar1997
Jan-M
ar1995
Jan-M
ar1993
Jan-M
ar1991
Jan-M
ar1989
Jan-M
ar1987
Jan-M
ar1985
Jan-M
ar1983
Jan-M
ar1981
Jan-M
ar1979
Jan-M
ar1977
Jan-M
ar1975
Jan-M
ar1973
Jan-M
ar1971
-9.7%
-2.8%
-7.5%
-3.9%
-1.5%
-1.7%
Figure 1: UK employment rate for men and women (16 to 64 years)
W
omen’s employment has
been on a long march
upwards but will this
now come to a halt? The
economic and societal changes of more
working women have been profound –
and the UK is all the better for it. Now
there are signs that we are approaching
another ‘glass ceiling’ for women – not
one of pay and promotion but a ‘glass
ceiling’ of jobs.
In 1998, the women’s employment
rate climbed above 65 per cent for the
first time and then broadly stabilised,
peaking at 67 per cent in 2008. This
period marked the end of a long
dramatic increase from the early 1970s
when barely half of women were in
work.
Each recession since the seventies has
seen women’s employment slip back
slightly but then powerfully recover to
move to successive historic highs. Past
recessions have barely interrupted the
upward march of women’s employment.
It is a mirror image for men – a
downward march that has been
accelerated by recessions. Since the
1970s, men’s employment rates have

5. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 3
Viewpoint
from men’s in many respects.
The overall employment rate
disguises that a far higher number of
women are working part time as they
juggle home and work. The demand for
part-time workers (and not enforced
part-time working) is an important
factor in attracting and retaining
women in the workforce.
Availability, quality and cost of
childcare are probably the most
important considerations for women
in their decision to return to work
after having a child. As recent Daycare
Trust reports have shown, the cost of
childcare is escalating and there is a
reduced supply in some areas. These
pressures mean that when women
return to work, they often ‘trade down’
in the labour market – working in jobs
well below their qualification level. This
is a waste of talent and expertise but for
many women it is the best pragmatic fix
between work, home and childcare.
When women become unemployed
they are less likely to claim or be eligible
for benefits. There are now many more
‘second earner’ households (and it is
often the woman who is the ‘second
earner’) so women are more likely
to be dependent when they become
unemployed. Figure 2 shows that only
half of unemployed women claim
benefits. This compares with 30 per
cent of men who do not claim. This has
been a consistent story over the past 30
years, even in the depth of recession.
This also means that unemployed
women are less likely to receive
government support in jobseeking or
improving skills.
This is not just about women in
couples with children; single women
also appear to be less likely to claim.
The estimated take-up of income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance (i.e. means-
tested JSA) shows that 52 to 61 per
cent of entitled single women without
children are claim JSA1
compared
with 74 to 96 per cent of couples with
children.
Not surprisingly, this lower rate of
claiming reflects itself in the numbers
for women on the Work Programme.
The Work Programme is primarily
a man’s world. Of referrals to the
programme,2
72 per cent are men and
28 per cent are women. The largest
difference is for JSA early entrants
(primarily those with significant
disadvantages), where only 21 per cent
are women. However, Employment and
Support Allowance (ESA) referrals are a
different story. The ESA gender profile
1 Department for Work and Pensions (2012),
Income related benefits: Estimates of takeup
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.
php?page=irb
2 Department for Work and Pensions (2012),
Work programme statistics http://statistics.
dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
Women’s employment
is not just about the
economics of the labour
market – other public
policies have as much
bearing on helping or
hindering women to work
PhotographbyOliScarff,www.iStockphoto.com
has always been more equal and this
is reflected in referrals, with only a four
percentage point gap between men
and women making ‘new ESA claims’.
As ESA referrals pick up and more lone
parent JSA claimants are referred, the
proportion of women on the Work
Programme should start to increase.
The introduction of Universal Credit
may have an impact on women’s
employment rates in the future. Critics3
have argued that when women are
the ‘second-earners’ they will have
less incentive to stay in work than
they do under the current system of
tax credits. While those women in
‘mini-jobs’ will receive more assistance,
the government has balanced this by
reducing support for women who are
working longer hours. This is something
3 For example, see Fran Bennett (2011),
Universal Credit: the gender impact, Child
Poverty Action Group
A woman waits at a bus stop
in Stoke Newington, London,
seen through graffiti on an
adjacent bus stop.

6. 4 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Male
Female
IB/IS
Volunteers
ESA
Ex-IB
New
ESA
claim
ants
ESA
Volunteers
JSA
Ex-IB
JSA
Early
Entrants
JSA
25+
JSA
18-24
Total
the government acknowledged in its
impact assessment.4
However, overall,
the government claims there will be
‘strong positive impacts on poverty
rates for women and on their work
incentives’.
Whatever the impact of Universal
Credit on women proves to be, a more
immediate concern is the effect on
women of reforms to current benefit
payments. For example, the Fawcett
Society and the Institute for Fiscal
Studies show how lone parents (92 per
cent of whom are women) have been
disproportionately affected by welfare
4 Department for Work and Pensions
(2011), Universal Credit Equalities Impact
Assessment
cuts.5
The reduction in Housing Benefit
support has led to widespread concern
about the impact on lone parents and
larger families, especially in London.
Means-testing ESA after 12 months
is also anticipated to have a greater
impact on women’s independent
income, since women are more likely
to have a partner whose earnings will
disqualify them from entitlement.
Women’s unemployment and the
recession
Since 2008, men and women have
borne an equal burden of the increase
5 Fawcett Society (2011), Single Mothers:
singled out
in unemployment, which has increased
by 62 per cent for both.
However, the pattern of job losses
has now dramatically changed. In the
recessionary period men lost out the
most but women did not benefit from
the 2009–10 improvement. This has
pushed women’s unemployment to a 25
year high.
Anna Bird of the Fawcett Society
says: ‘By 2015, the government expects
to shed more than 700,000 public
sector jobs – and twice as many women
as men will lose their jobs through this
great cull. Carrying on down this path
will see the coalition government be the
first to have presided over a reversal in
women’s equality, after generations of
slow but steady progress.’
So will there be a halt to the long-
term increase in women’s employment
rate? All the signs are that this will be
the case. There is a triple whammy of
a weak labour market, higher childcare
costs and some elements of welfare
reforms which will create a ‘glass
ceiling’ over women’s jobs. The ‘march
of the manufacturers’ isn’t exactly a
gender-free strategy, unless you believe
that women can break down other glass
ceilings in male dominated industries.
New responses will emerge to
address this situation – as they have in
the past. ‘Women Like Us’6
is a good
example – working with women and
employers to fit work around the needs
of the family. More creative responses
will be needed and the government has
a role to play as well. The government’s
equality strategy is a start but it will
need to be much more ambitious if
it is to hold back the larger forces at
play that will halt the upward march of
women in work.
6 See www.womenlikeus.org.uk
When women return to
work, they often ‘trade
down’ in the labour market
– working in jobs well
below their qualification
level. This is a waste of
talent and expertise but
for many women it is the
best pragmatic fix between
work, home and childcare
Viewpoint
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Female gap between ILO and claimant count
Male gap between ILO and claimant count
Jul-Sep2011
Nov-Jan2011
Feb-Apr2010
May-July2009
Aug-Oct2008
Nov-Jan2008
Feb-Apr2007
May-Jul2006
Jul-Sep2005
Oct-Dec2004
Jan-Mar2004
Apr-Jun2003
Jul-Sep2002
Sep-Nov2001
Dec-Feb2001
Mar-May2000
Jun-Aug1999
Sep-Nov1998
Dec-Feb1998
Mar-May1997
Jun-Aug1996
Sep-Nov1995
Dec-Feb1995
Apr-Jun1994
Jul-Sep1993
Oct-Dec1992
Jan-Mar1992
Apr-Jun1991
Jul-Sep1990
Oct-Dec1989
Jan-Mar1989
Apr-Jun1988
Jul-Sep1987
Oct-Dec1986
Jan-Mar1986
Apr-Jun1985
Jul-Sep1984
Oct-Dec1983
Jan-Mar1983
Apr-Jun1982
Jul-Sep1981
Oct-Dec1980
Jan-Mar1980
Apr-Jun1979
Figure 2: Male and female gaps between ILO unemployment and
claimant count
Figure 3: Rise in unemployment for men and women

7. Subject area Running head
info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 5
W
herever you sit in the
Work Programme
chain, it has not been a
comfortable few months.
It’s not likely to get any easier. We are
coming to a critical passing point for
the Work Programme – can it deal with
the many pressures and tensions or will
it buckle under the strain?
This is not an idle or academic
question. Most organisations involved
are facing some very tough questions
at the moment. Strong support remains
for the ideals of the Work Programme:
flexibility, payment by results, and
improved outcomes. But there is almost
universal questioning about whether
the government has got the financing
right.
I do not meet anyone who will now
defend the government’s performance
expectations of the Work Programme –
and I certainly don’t meet anyone who
thinks they will be achieved.
Why has this come to pass? The first
and overriding reason is the economy.
It is not creating enough jobs to meet
targets, and the official jobs forecasts
don’t hold much hope for the future.
The consequences cascade through
the system from top to bottom of the
contractor supply chains but it can be
tougher as a sub-contractor.
If the finances are not helping the
Work Programme then the furore over
fraud and work experience has not
helped either. There has been much
misreporting which has incorrectly
blamed the Work Programme but
blaming the media is a cop out.
Fraud exists everywhere but the public
are more unforgiving if it is taxpayers’
money and even more unforgiving if it is
not robustly pursued. The reputational
impact is critical – the Work Programme
cannot afford to be tarred with the
perception of fraud. Tough action
may cause casualties but that may be
preferable to the whole programme
suffering.
The work experience furore
was predictable with hindsight.
Unfortunately nobody did predict it and
I include ourselves. Alarm bells could
have been rung but were not. Unpaid
work experience has been operating
mostly without controversy for over 20
years but a combination of sanctions,
Work Programme: not a
comfortable time
The economy is not creating enough jobs to meet Work Programme
targets, and the official jobs forecasts don’t hold much hope for the
future either. Pulling the Work Programme into line with the state of the
labour market is now the urgent task, argues Dave Simmonds.
duration and sheer scale broke the
previous consensus.
The media attention was on
mandated work experience before
people join the Work Programme
but neither claimants, the public or
employers draw such distinctions.
Listening to employer voices and
scrapping the sanctions was an
important step in getting work
experience back onto an even keel.
But more will need to be done to help
employers use the Work Programme
to recruit and offer work experience
with confidence, and without fear of
controversy.
The Work Programme is well past its
age of innocence and is now firmly
in the political and media spotlight...
and this will continue to be the case.
The next ‘bad news story’ waiting to
happen is when a large contractor (or
a critical mass of sub-contractors) goes
bust or pulls out. This is not going to
help unemployed people one iota. The
economic squeeze on Work Programme
performance and finances is a squeeze
on support to unemployed people.
Pulling the Work Programme into line
with the state of the labour market is
now the urgent task.
I do not meet anyone
who will now defend the
government’s performance
expectations of the
Work Programme – and
I certainly don’t meet
anyone who thinks they will
be achieved
The reputational impact
is critical – the Work
Programme cannot
afford to be tarred with
the perception of fraud.
Tough action may cause
casualties but that may
be preferable to the whole
programme suffering
The Work Programme
is well past its age of
innocence and is now
firmly in the political and
media spotlight... and this
will continue to be the case

8. 6 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
improving representation
responsibilities at the other end of the
age spectrum with elder care offerings?
Many research articles show that
increasing numbers of employees find
themselves in the ‘sandwich’ generation:
they have childcare responsibilities
and also look after an elderly relative.
The lack of support and information
regarding finding suitable solutions can
make the situation seem impossible.
Some enlightened employers already
offer support. However, further
advancements – such as ‘care vouchers’
that use the same principle as childcare
vouchers and applying ‘family friendly’
to the holistic family unit – would go a
long way towards helping those who
have to source and finance care for the
elderly in their families. However, this
isn’t something employers can do on
their own and requires a partnership
approach with the government, local
authorities and care providers.
Re-engaging with the workplace
Many women disengage with their
employer after a prolonged period
of time out, such as maternity leave.
This is a time when key talent can be
overlooked, having a significant impact
on the ‘pipeline’. More focus should be
given to supporting the employee to
prepare for the inevitable changes in
their personal life and considering how
they would like to engage with their
employer during their time out. They
may decide they don’t want to have
any contact during this time, which
is entirely their choice. However, the
Glass ceiling: what can be done
to improve representation?
Charlotte Sweeney discusses some strategic approaches that tackle
gender representation and support women into positions of power.
and focus from the very top. This will
start to fix the leaky pipeline so the
trickle of female talent into the senior
levels changes into a constant flow.
Tactical actions are important. However,
a strategic approach to the issue has
to be the first logical step that sustains
change.
The actions that follow are not new
concepts. However, how they are
perceived and delivered is key.
Flexible working
Flexible working has been hailed as
a key retention tool for a number of
years and is in the forefront of minds
again this year, thanks to the Olympics.
Employers and employees have clear
views about what flexible working is
and what it isn’t, although their opinions
may be very different. Is the definition
too narrow in many places? Flexible
working is much more than job share,
reduced hours and working from home.
It is, and should be, a culture shift that
focuses on trusting employees to get
their work done, to meet their deadlines
and deliver their clients’ requirements in
a way that suits them and their lifestyle.
Many flexible working policies and
practices are so ‘inflexible’, and that
is where the problem can lie. Building
a culture of trust will go a long way
to improving the levels of flexibility
and helping employers identify what
flexibility means for them, their
workforce and their culture.
Family friendly
Regardless of advancements in the
workplace, women continue to take
the lion’s share of responsibility for
the home and family. Many employers
support the ‘family friendly’ agenda,
offering childcare vouchers and
additional childcare facilities. But
how many actually support caring
Charlotte Sweeney
is Head of Diversity and
Inclusion, EMEA, Nomura
International
Why does female
representation continue to
look starker the further up
the organisational ladder
one climbs?
F
or over a decade, diversity and
inclusion have been on the
management agenda for both
the private and public sectors
and, in the majority of companies,
gender has been the key focus within
that wider remit. Gender diversity is
regularly in the press; recent interest
has focused on the progress of the Lord
Davies review and the pressure coming
from the EU to implement quotas for
women on boards.
Given this level of profile and interest,
why does female representation
continue to look starker the further up
the organisational ladder one climbs?
What are the key factors that do make
a difference, breaking the glass ceiling
and improving the gender diversity of
senior teams?
The simple answer is that there isn’t
one silver bullet to solve this issue.
What will make a difference, however, is
a number of key changes to policies and
cultures, and a continuous commitment

9. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 7
improving representation
key point is that women should be
given the choice rather than employers
making assumptions about what they
want. Support should also be available
when it is time to come back to work
and should cover aspects such as how
to re-engage with the employer when
planning to return. Some organisations
offer coaching and support before,
during and after maternity leave
for both the employee and her line
manager. This has had a positive impact
on return rates from maternity leave
and longer-term retention rates.
Support from the top
Policies can adapt and training
programmes can be delivered to
support advancement. However,
sustainable change will not be realised
Flexible working is a culture
shift that focuses on
trusting employees to get
their work done, to meet
their deadlines and deliver
their clients’ requirements
in a way that suits them
and their lifestyle
Change will progress
quicker if senior leaders
challenge their leadership
teams on what they deliver
and hold them totally
accountable
by any employer unless there is
commitment to change at the very top
of the organisation. The board, the chief
executive and their direct reports must
have a clear vision of how they want
the company to look and feel in future,
coupled with an unwavering view that
increasing the diversity of leadership
teams throughout the company has to
be the right thing to do for all aspects
of business.
Many employers have the written
and verbal commitment from the top.
However, actions speak louder than
words. Change will progress more
quickly if senior leaders challenge their
leadership teams on what they deliver
and hold them totally accountable. The
agenda progresses further and quicker
when senior leaders regularly ask their
direct reports one or two pressing
questions in relation to anything
xx
they are delivering in the business
or anything relating to their people.
Constant and focused questions ought
to be asked, such as: ‘What are the
barriers and biases within our processes
that hinder progression?’,
‘What impact does that change have
from a gender perspective?’ or
‘What is it we are individually and
collectively doing that hinders change?’
People generally focus on what is
important to their boss. If they know
they will be asked about their actions
and will be measured against their
progress, change will happen.
Helping more women to break
through the glass ceiling at whatever
level and improving representation
are not about women-only training
programmes to understand and learn
how to ‘play the game’. These do play
a part; however, a ‘fixing the women’
mentality will not deliver a sustainable
and authentic change. A focus on
culture change, and breaking down
barriers and bias to create an inclusive
culture, will not only support and enable
the progression of more women into
the senior positions but will encourage
an environment where all employees
can progress to the best of their ability.
PhotographbySlawekKozdras

10. 8 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Women in parliament
Achieving a gender balance
in Parliament
Lynne Featherstone MP discusses the lack of women MPs
and steps political parties can take towards a gender balance.
O
ur Parliament has come a
long way in recent years.
Watching the ‘Iron Lady’
about Margaret Thatcher’s
political career was a sharp reminder
of how recently this establishment was
almost entirely made up of men.
Significant progress towards gender
balance has been made since then but
we are still nowhere near reflecting the
percentage of women in the country:
women make up 51 per cent of the
population but make up only 22 per
cent of MPs, 31 per cent of councillors
in England and 32 per cent of public
appointments.
It is in everyone’s interests to have
a parliament that is made up of the
best people for the job. We do not
just elect individuals, we elect people
to be members of a team (their party,
government or opposition, parliament
overall) – and, just as in sport, good
teams have to have the right mix to
be more than simply the sum of their
parts. Effective teams need variety and
diversity. Our public and political life
also benefit when we include people
who reflect the communities they serve
and who bring the benefits of a diverse
set of experiences.
So how do we address the lack of
women MPs?
A debate was held recently in the House
of Commons on representation within
Parliament. The debate highlighted
the recommendations that came
out of the Speaker’s Conference on
Parliamentary Representation two years
ago, some of which have already been
introduced. For example, the Equality
Act introduced specific obligations for
political parties on widening access
and monitoring the diversity of their
candidates, and allows them to balance
shortlists with people from under-
represented groups. It is now legal until
2030 to employ all women shortlists
if a political party wishes to. The
access to elected office strategy will
also provide funding and support for
disabled men and women who want to
stand as candidates for national or local
elections.
What was clear from the debate
was that there are committed
representatives across the political
divide who are working hard to
improve the situation. It is also clear
that each political party needs to
Lynne Featherstone
MP is Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State
for Equalities
Women make up 51 per
cent of the population
but make up only 22 per
cent of MPs, 31 per cent
of councillors in England
and 32 per cent of public
appointments The Equality Act introduced
specific obligations
for political parties on
widening access and
monitoring the diversity of
their candidates, and allows
them to balance shortlists
with people from under-
represented groups

11. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 9
Women in parliament
take responsibility to establish a way
forwards on these issues to identify the
potential barriers and issues which exist
within each organisation.
The Liberal Democrats worked
hard to get many great women into
potentially winnable seats in the last
general election, though I am sad to
say we didn’t win many of them. As a
sitting MP myself, I know how much
support candidates need to help them
get elected. In order to ensure that our
women candidates in the next election
have the maximum chance of winning,
the party has established a candidate
leadership programme, an initiative
to support a small number of talented
women and people from under-
represented groups to stand in the most
competitive seats within the party. We
also have on-going mentoring schemes,
training, and networking opportunities
available for any women at all levels
of the party who want to get more
involved.
It is also important to consider the
impact of the culture of Parliament
itself. Elected representatives have a
responsibility to improve the public
perception of politicians; we need to
move away from ‘Punch and Judy’ style
politics that can put a lot of people off
and demonstrate a more consensual
style of working. Since we have been in
government, we have seen some moves
towards creating a more modern,
family-friendly workplace, such as the
introduction of a crèche to provide
childcare. However, we should also
look towards best practice in business
and the public sector to find other
effective strategies, such as clearer
career progression, flexible working
arrangements, and using positive
action to encourage the widest range
of qualified applicants. These measures
have been proved to be effective at
attracting and retaining ambitious
women in business. We need to see this
kind of cultural shift happen in politics
as well in order to ensure that we have
sustainable solutions to increasing the
number of women in Parliament.
In one school in Burnley,
only 12 out of 360 children
surveyed knew an adult in
work.
Elected representatives
have a responsibility
to improve the public
perception of politicians;
we need to move away
from ‘Punch and Judy’
style politics that can
put a lot of people off
and demonstrate a more
consensual style of working
PhotographbySlawekKozdras

12. 10 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
sector Interview
I got particularly interested in the most
effective educational approaches and
curricula for teaching disadvantaged
children. So I set off to find education
work in my area of interest, bumped
into ARK and never looked back. I’ve
been at ARK for just over seven years,
since 2005. We opened our first school
in 2006.
Could you tell us about ARK
Schools’ performance in
supporting teenagers’ educational
attainment?
We’re exceedingly proud of our record
so far. In the five schools for which
we have GCSE results, teenagers are
making fantastic progress. We’ve
measured the numbers of young
people arriving with different levels
Amanda Spielman discusses ARK Schools’
role in helping teenagers with the greatest
barriers to educational attainment and
problems that disproportionately affect girls
in education with Helen Crowther.
Amanda Spielman
is Research and
Development Director
at ARK Schools
Could you tell us a bit about your
background and how you got into
the education sector?
I got into education just over 10 years
ago. I was originally in finance, having
done a law degree and qualified as
an accountant. I spent the best part
of 15 years working in finance and
strategy consulting. And I had the lovely
experience of maternity leave, which
gave me a chance to reflect on my
career choice. I realised that I was no
longer interested in what I was doing
and that ever since I was a child I’d
read everything I could come across
about education. So it was a light-bulb
moment – why am I not working in
education? I took advantage of this
insight to do a Masters in Comparative
Education, which I finished 10 years ago.

13. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 11
sector Interview
of achievement, based on national
curriculum levels, who go on to reach
grade C or better at GCSE. We’ve also
looked at the proportion of teenagers
who make more than the expected level
of progress set by the government. On
both of these measures, the teenagers
in our schools make far more progress
than the national averages in any kind
of school. So we know that we’ve got a
model that’s really effective.
What are gaps in attainment like
within your schools? Are there gaps
between boys and girls?
In comparing boys against girls,
teenagers who are entitled to free
school meals against those who
aren’t, and those with English as an
additional language against native
English speakers, we’ve found the gaps
in our schools are very small. We’re
eliminating gaps across the board.
In what ways are you effective in
supporting attainment?
We have a lot of mechanisms to make
sure that we have really good teaching,
strong programmes and strong
curricula in the schools. We make sure
that teachers share good practice; this
helps to reinforce to new teachers the
way the school approaches things. This
creates consistency and intellectual
clarity, which is evident in the positive
published results for our schools.
At most of our schools with GCSE
results, only around 20–21 per cent
were achieving five A*s to Cs, including
maths and English, when we started
working on the projects. The sense
of pride that develops as a result of
the achievement once they join ARK
Schools is wonderful. At St Alban’s
Academy in Birmingham, where the
GCSE pass rate has increased from 31
to 67 per cent in two years, we have
seen how the same principal and largely
the same teachers can completely turn
around performance, with ARK Schools’
support.
What gender barriers do you think
girls face related to educational
attainment?
Britain actually has a very small gap
between girls and boys in educational
outcomes compared to foreign
countries. I don’t see it as the great
problem of British education. There
are other countries in which female
participation is a gigantic problem
and a huge impediment to their lives.
Under-achievement by teenagers who
come in with low prior attainment
generally is a much bigger problem and,
in my view, the single biggest problem
we have.
There are, though, two problematic
areas disproportionately affecting girls
in education. One is a lack of aspiration.
Girls are less willing to take themselves
into unknown areas and aren’t
encouraged as much to do so. And the
other problem is a tendency for girls to
close off their options too early. They
can choose GCSEs at age 14 that limit
opportunities for study post-16. Instead,
girls should take themselves as far as
they can on their educational journey
before making choices that start to set
the shape of their eventual career.
We all do have to make those choices
eventually but this shouldn’t happen too
early. Most schools at Key Stage 4 have
a very wide set of options. Some of
those options keep future choices wide
open and some are essentially limiting.
With some choices, the only place to go
is a further course in that subject, which
means that teenagers can find that they
have unwittingly narrowed down their
options.
So what impact does this have on
girls’ position later on in the labour
market?
Well clearly this has an enormous
impact. We need to make sure that
people don’t rule themselves out of
certain options and make the path of
life harder than it needs to be. Many
people later on in life realise they want
to go to university or want to take
a different career path, so they take
evening classes or study part time. This
makes life harder. Also, depending on
your family circumstances, for example
if you’ve had children young, it may not
be possible to take on study later in life.
In our schools we want to make it as
easy as possible for teenagers to make
the most of their wonderful capacities
and talents. We don’t want to make
choices for them, but to help them
make choices so they can make the
most of themselves.
We make sure that
teachers share good
practice; this helps to
reinforce to new teachers
the way the school
approaches things.
This creates consistency
and intellectual clarity,
which is evident in the
positive published results
for our schools
Girls are less willing to
take themselves into
unknown areas and aren’t
encouraged as much to
do so. [There is also] a
tendency for girls to close
off their options too early
About ARK Schools
ARK Schools is a UK education charity and one of the leading academy
operators. It runs academies in London, Birmingham and Portsmouth. It is part
of the international children’s charity ARK. ARK runs a range of health, welfare
and education projects in the UK, Southern Africa, India and Eastern Europe.
In relation to its academies, ARK Schools operates in the following areas:
„„ Extended Schools: supporting ARK academies in providing extended
education and enrichment opportunities for pupils
„„ Mathematics Mastery: ARK Schools’ innovative mathematics programme
based on international best practice
„„ Future Leaders: training potential principals to prepare them for senior
leadership roles in challenging urban schools
„„ Teaching Leaders: leadership programme targeted at the best middle leaders
within complex urban schools.

14. 12 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
sector Interview
How does ARK Schools help young
people to make appropriate course
choices?
You can’t really expect a 13 or 14 year
old presented with a gigantic list to
know that there are real differences
in how useful these courses will be to
them in their educational journey and in
later life. So we need to make sure that
teenagers are subtly steered towards
the most demanding programme
that they are sensibly capable of
undertaking. You don’t want people
who are perfectly capable of doing a
full academic course sorting themselves
into a largely vocational programme at
14. Schools need to advise teenagers
to take paths that are genuinely good
for their futures. This isn’t about career
guidance, as such, at that age. It’s about
making sure that teenagers carry on
with what they are good at.
What is your mathematics mastery
programme?
It’s a very exciting programme which
builds a strong base for further
study. It’s based on the Singapore
mathematics programme. It’s very
heavily based on research, and has
been developed very carefully over
a long period. More time is spent on
fewer topics than are currently covered
in the national curriculum. Throughout
their time in primary school, children
get longer to consolidate the really
important concepts and applications
that become the base for everything
they do through secondary school
and beyond. Pupils are introduced
to concepts through pictorial
representation before we introduce the
abstract way of applying it. And lastly
we make sure pupils can strongly apply
all mathematical operations that we
work through, consistently and reliably.
This means understanding not only how
to do something but why it works.
How does ARK Schools fit in with
the overall aims of ARK?
ARK’s mission is to radically improve
the life chances of disadvantaged
young people. Four of the five ARK
academies that have GCSE pupils now
are in the two per cent of schools that
have the lowest attainment at entry in
the country. So we are very specifically
looking to take on the schools whose
teenagers have the greatest barriers
to educational attainment. We’ve got
to make sure that children who come
into school with a clear likelihood of
educational under-achievement get a
programme and teaching which give
them the best possible chance.
We need to make sure
that people don’t rule
themselves out of certain
options and make the
path of life harder than it
needs to be
We need to make sure
that teenagers are subtly
steered towards the most
demanding programme
that they are sensibly
capable of undertaking.
You don’t want people
who are perfectly capable
of doing a full academic
course sorting themselves
into a largely vocational
programme at 14

15. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 13
opposition approach
W
omen’s employment,
now at a 23-year high,
has been hit hard by the
government’s austerity
programme. Job losses in the public
sector have a disproportionate effect:
40 per cent of women in employment
work in the public sector compared
with 15 per cent of men. Increases
in the number of private-sector jobs
have failed remotely to keep pace with
public-sector losses; and the much
wider gender pay gap in the private
sector (20.8 per cent compared with
11.6 per cent in the public sector), and
poorer pensions and employment
conditions, bode ill for long-term
gender equality.
The Chancellor’s efforts to boost
employment rates through £6 billion
of investment in infrastructure projects
are also likely to miss out women: the
sectors in which the investment is
concentrated are not traditional sources
of women’s jobs. The opportunity has
been ignored to invest in what the
Women’s Budget Group describe as our
‘social infrastructure’ – education, care
and health – where many more women
are employed.
Nor is it clear that the Youth Contract –
already criticised for being too little and
too late – will be effective at improving
girls’ prospects. While the raised tax
threshold lifts low-paid women out
of tax, overall more men than women
benefit from this measure. It is women
who are predominantly affected by cuts
in and freezes to tax credits, including
the cut in support for childcare costs
from 80 to 70 per cent. Aviva has
calculated that the increased cost of
working has already forced 32,000
women out of work.
How could Labour take a different
approach in a context where the
weakening of the economy under
George Osborne has massively
constrained spending choices? Here
are four urgent steps that would both
help the economy return to growth and
set us on the path towards an equal
recovery:
„„ Redirect infrastructure investment
to the social sector, including
new schools and better transport
infrastructure, to boost women and
girls’ job opportunities, and protect
the services they rely on to work.
„„ Tax bankers’ bonuses and invest the
proceeds in youth jobs, ensuring
girls have access to the good quality
employment and apprenticeships
that improve their earnings
prospects.
„„ Temporarily reverse the VAT rise,
to help women hit by cuts in tax
credits to balance family budgets.
„„ Support measures to promote
women-owned businesses and
self-employed women, including
a one year national insurance tax
break for entrepreneurs who take on
extra staff and improved access to
training and start-up finance.
Short-term measures like these will
keep women in the workplace and
point forwards towards greater gender
quality at work, but the challenge for
long-term gender equality requires new
and bolder thinking. We need both a
tax and tax credit system that provide
equal incentives for men and women
to work. We must tackle occupational
segregation, address the part-time
pay gap, strengthen equal progression
and rights at work, and invest in high-
quality, flexible childcare and social
care because these are prerequisites for
an equal recovery. And these are the
policies Labour will focus on to improve
prosperity for all women at work.
An alternative approach to
women’s employment from
the opposition
Kate Green MP tells how the Labour Party would take
a different approach to women’s employment under
constrained spending choices.
Kate Green MP is
Shadow Spokesperson
for Women and Equality
Job losses in the
public sector have a
disproportionate effect:
40 per cent of women in
employment work in the
public sector compared
with 15 per cent of men
The opportunity has been
ignored to invest in what
the Women’s Budget
Group describe as our
‘social infrastructure’
– education, care and
health – where many more
women are employed

16. 14 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
As an Inclusion supporter you will get
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17. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 15
Is there a role for
positive action in
addressing gender
representation?
Jonathan Rees,
Director General,
Government
Equalities Office
Equal treatment and
equal opportunity
are central to this
government’s approach, and to our
economic future. Much progress has
been made in the past 40 years. But
there is still much to do. Women are
still under-represented on the boards
of our major companies: comprising
less than one in 10 executive directors.
The gender pay gap, at 10 per cent,
is still too high; and if women started
businesses at the same rate as men,
there would be an additional 150,000
start-ups each year in the UK.
So while the government does not
support positive discrimination – which
is illegal in the UK – or quotas, we do
think, like most of our best companies,
such as BT and Lloyds TSB, that
positive action can make a difference.
It’s why we have introduced voluntary
gender equality reporting, which
encourages companies and voluntary
sector organisations to think, act and
report on gender equality. It’s why we
are recruiting 15,000 new mentors
to encourage women entrepreneurs
and setting up a new Women’s
Business Council. And it’s why we have
enacted the 2010 Equality Act, which
strengthens the options for positive
action to help promote equal treatment.
Any use of positive action is entirely
voluntary. High profile companies, such
as Tesco, Eversheds, and Ernst and
Young are showing how positive action
can make a real difference. The business
benefits are clear: a more diverse
workforce harnesses a wider range of
skills and better reflects customers’
needs. The government wants more
businesses to follow suit. Change
will only be lasting when businesses
themselves fully realise the benefits of
equality.
Dame Anne
Begg, MP
I have always
depended on my
employers being
willing to make
adjustments, at
some cost, to allow me to work from
a wheelchair; be it building ramps,
adjusting a toilet or rearranging the
shelves in the departmental book
cupboard so I could reach. All have
been acts of ‘positive discrimination’
and without them, I couldn’t have taken
the job.
Yet when it comes to getting more
women into positions of power there is
enormous resistance to using positive
discrimination. The cry is that they want
the ‘best person for the job’. But how
can you achieve this if the best person
hasn’t even applied for the job, or didn’t
the Burning Issue
Women are still under-
represented on the
boards of our major
companies: comprising
less than one in 10
executive directors

18. 16 | Working Brief | Spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
the Burning Issue
make it as far as the interview? It is the
positive action of all-women shortlists
which has increased the number of
female Labour MPs in the Commons.
There is a strange belief that women
won’t want to be treated differently,
and will feel diminished if they don’t
compete on a ‘level playing field’.
But that is usually what positive
discrimination does: provide the equal
chances. Equality is not achieved by
treating everyone the same, but by
smoothing out the inequalities inherent
in a workplace or a political system
designed around how men traditionally
lived their lives.
Dr Adam
Marshall,
Director of
Policy, the British
Chambers of
Commerce
As I travel around
the UK, companies repeat the same
mantra everywhere: they want the
best candidate for the job, regardless
of gender, ethnic background, or age.
Most of the businesspeople I come into
contact with have a healthy and well-
justified fear of any mechanisms that
distort the labour market, no matter
how positive their intentions. They
are also concerned about ‘grey areas’
developing in the law, leading to an
increase in Employment Tribunal cases
and new disincentives to hiring. That’s
how most companies responded to
ministers’ proposals for positive action,
for example.
Yet at the same time, businesspeople
all say that they want to see greater
gender balance, both in boardrooms
and among company executives.
Firms which sell directly to the public
have a particular desire to make sure
their sales force broadly represents
the local areas where they are selling;
people prefer to buy from people who
are like them, be it the same race, age
or gender. These employers do not
consider themselves to be involved in
‘positive discrimination’, they are merely
picking the best person for that job, in
that area, at that time.
However, the sharing of best practice
and new ways to celebrate those
companies that have made a difference
in female labour market participation
would be welcome. But any move
to legislate or regulate for positive
discrimination would undermine the
UK’s flexible labour market, and send
precisely the wrong signal to business
at the time when we want companies
to be hiring, not spending money on
lawyers and HR consultants.
Kay Carberry,
Assistant General
Secretary, Trades
Union Congress
The recent focus
on women in the
boardroom and
positions of power is very welcome
but it risks diverting attention from the
needs of women at the other end of the
labour market. Trade unions support
initiatives to help women rise through
the ranks but equally let’s not forget
that most low-paid employees are
women. The median hourly wage for a
woman working part time in the private
sector is £6.96 and women workers are
still concentrated in a narrow range of
occupations, for instance 74 per cent of
cleaners are women.
We need to take positive action to
develop women’s skills in order to help
them into better paid jobs with more
prospects when the economy recovers.
Union learning reps in workplaces
have helped countless women back
to learning but the government and
employers still need to do more. We’d
like a boost to Sector Skills Councils
funding for ‘women and work’ projects,
and wider access to non-traditional
apprenticeships. Only three per cent of
engineering apprentices are women. To
turn this around, girls and women need
better careers advice and government
could look at using procurement policy
to require suppliers to recruit a more
balanced intake of apprentices.
Carolyn McCall
OBE, Chief
Executive, easyJet
Despite the progress
in improving the
gender gap over
the past 20 years,
women are still under-represented in
senior leadership and decision-making
roles. Progress is not what it should
be for a number of different reasons,
and this is true even in the largest
firm. The Davies report has been very
important in this area, as it recognises
that positive discrimination and quotas
are not the answer, and has highlighted
how chairmen and CEOs have a critical
role to play if we are to accelerate
progress. Companies themselves can do
far more than government as this is not
about legislation; it is about culture and
attitude. If companies want to retain
female talent, they have to work hard
to do so by being more agile in their
outlook and approach.
At easyJet, despite being in what is
seen as a traditionally male industry,
we are working to develop our female
talent and have a more balanced
executive committee and board.
Of course, women can do a lot for
themselves: they have to be confident
about their abilities and they have to
want these senior positions.
Women can do a lot for
themselves: they have to
be confident about their
abilities and they have to
want these senior positions
Equality is not achieved by
treating everyone the same,
but by smoothing out the
inequalities inherent in a
workplace

19. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 17
the Burning Issue
Liz Cross,
Founder and
Managing
Director, the
Connectives
In the ‘war for talent’
it would appear
some organisations are operating as
conscientious objectors! At a time when
people differentiate the best performing
businesses from the rest, we all need to
consider whether we are enabling talent
to find us and whether we are actively
searching it out.
In our work in the UK, and in other
parts of the world, we see some
organisations and people overlooking
many ‘non-traditional’ groups of
workers, and women still, in a number
of roles and industries, feature in this
category.
So our take on the moral as well as
the business case is that:
„„ All talent should fulfil its potential
– we should tackle inequity or
discrimination of all kinds.
„„ Working with women delivers high
returns. The social and economic
impact is felt across the family and
community. Women tend to stay in
the local community, spend in the
local economy and spend more on
their children – delivering a ripple
effect. At the same time, they
model for others the value of having
economic independence.
„„ Innovation and market growth need
diverse perspectives to challenge
what is seen to be mainstream, and
for new products and services to
find new demand.
„„ Women account for a high
percentage of the power or
influence in terms of purchasing
decisions.
„„ Research and evidence from the
‘field’ shows strong and sustainable
performance requires leadership
styles that flex to get the best out
of all resources; diverse leadership
teams will deliver better results.
Our view then is leave nothing to
chance: take positive action, seek
talent from everywhere – and enjoy the
results.
Breege Burke,
Chief Executive,
Working Links
Half of our FTSE 250
businesses have no
women on the board,
and we all recognise
that this needs to change. But this is not
about numbers and percentages. Most
of these companies serve a customer
base that is at least half female, and
a workforce that is diverse, so a
balance of gender in the boardroom
makes good business sense. Talented
leadership is a scarce resource, and
good businesses need to expand their
pool of candidates to create the best
leadership and the best board.
But let’s not patronise talented
women with positive discrimination;
rather, we should recognise the
skills of the individual and give them
encouragement and support to grow
their careers. At Working Links we are
focused on getting the best person
for the job and that means widening
the talent pool for every recruit, and
encouraging and nurturing self belief
in our people regardless of gender.
What matters most to me is that I am
surrounded by people who are talented,
enthusiastic and committed to the
organisation. The results speak for
themselves.
This is the way to achieve true
equality in the workplace. Companies
can achieve more gender-balance in the
top jobs by starting with recruitment,
and laying out a clear pathway for
talented staff, male and female, to rise
to the top.
Emma Stewart,
Co-founder and
Director, Women
Like Us
The role of positive
discrimination is
part of the ongoing
debate on how to tackle gender
inequality in the workplace but it is not
the key issue.
At Women Like Us we speak to
thousands of businesses for whom the
ability to attract and retain good female
talent is key to business performance.
But many struggle to find a good
pipeline of women for senior and
executive roles.
Yet we also talk to thousands of
women every year with a high level of
skills and experience who struggle to
find jobs that match their ability.
The issue is that the representation
of women in the labour market, and
their earning potential, is most affected
when they have children. The gender
pay gap is largely a ‘motherhood pay
gap’. Women with children are forced to
downgrade their skills and experience in
return for flexibility. As a consequence
the part-time female employee working
below potential in one of the 3C
occupations is still alive and unhappy.
Specific interventions to overcome
this are vital, but this is not about
quotas. Employers must make
commercial decisions, and will always
want to choose the right candidate for
the job, based on ability. Increasing
employers’ access to a more diverse
talent pool will come through designing
jobs with flexible or part-time hours,
from entry level to board room, and
widening recruitment networks.
Employers who do this reap the
benefits. They are taking positive
action but this is definitely not positive
discrimination.
Our view then is leave
nothing to chance: take
positive action, seek talent
from everywhere – and
enjoy the results

20. 18 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Women in welfare to work
Women, employment and
welfare to work
Janette Faherty discusses the roles of mentoring and providing
networking opportunities in supporting and retaining women, and
breaking the ‘glass ceiling’ in welfare to work.
And what of the employability sector,
in which many companies are founded
on principles of valuing and promoting
diversity? Approximately 20,000
people work directly in employability
programmes, of which 77 per cent are in
customer facing roles such as advisers
(51 per cent), tutors (15 per cent) and
job brokers (11 per cent). Previous
research shows that 64 per cent of
those are women. Ten per cent of all
roles are described as ‘management’
and therefore we should expect to see
some 1,280 women managers in non-
specialist roles within the sector. We
know relatively little, however, about the
position of women in various roles, and
even less about how these break down
in terms of disability and ethnicity.
We can, of course, see the very high
profile women within the sector and
sadly you don’t have to be Einstein to
note that there are far fewer of them
than an extrapolation from the 64 per
cent of women in customer-facing roles
would imply. Only 20 per cent of chief
executive or managing director roles
within prime contractors are carried out
by women. In the three largest Work
Programme primes, there are no female
chief executives or managing directors.
In response to this, an informal group
under the title ‘Women in Welfare to
Work’ came together in 2011 and so far
has held two networking events, which
have attracted women from across
the sector and in roles ranging from
business development to director and
from large, small, private and voluntary-
sector organisations. Those attending
and those expressing interest, some 85
women, were asked whether they felt
there was value in continuing to meet
and what they wanted the group to be.
From this, the main view was for
continuing as an informal group:
providing networking opportunities,
mentoring other women and new
talent, raising the profile of the sector
and the opportunities for progression,
coupled with an element of fundraising
(the group has already raised funds for
Centrepoint).
The group’s next event will be a dinner
at the House of Lords on the invitation
of one of the high-profile women in the
sector, Baroness Debbie Stedman Scott
of Tomorrow’s People, followed later in
the year by a conference.
Women in Welfare to Work links well
with the wider professionalisation
agenda, which seeks not only to raise
standards and qualifications but also
to raise the profile of the industry
as a career destination of choice.
The employment-related services
qualifications at level 3 are already in
place and with Babington Business
College and the ‘Future Leaders’
programme, level 4 qualifications are
now being developed. As part of this,
a number of women from Women
in Welfare to Work have pledged to
mentor women undertaking one of
the employment-related services
qualifications and into positions of
leadership. More details on this and
on Women in Welfare to Work will
be uploaded to the new Institute of
Employability website shortly:
www.iemployability.org.
Women’s groups exist and have
existed for many years in sectors such
Janette Faherty OBE
is Director of Avanta
A number of women from
Women In Welfare to Work
have pledged to mentor
women undertaking one
of the employment-related
services qualifications and
into positions of leadership
I
n 1969, the late Dr Eleanor
Macdonald, who was the first
woman director of a UK public
limited company, founded Women
in Management to provide both
networking and career development
opportunities for women. Her
anticipation was that this would
encourage more women to follow her
onto boards and to play a larger role
within organisations. She sincerely
hoped that the need for such an
organisation would ‘wither away’ as
more women entered the workforce,
were better educated and would – by
sheer force of numbers – succeed to the
top.
If only that were the case. In the UK,
only 35 per cent of managers and senior
officials are women. Only two of the
FTSE top 250 companies have a woman
chief executive. The pay differential
between men and women managers is
17 per cent, but for directors is 22 per
cent. Even in education, where women
vastly outnumber men in the profession,
the number of women college principals
and headteachers is woefully small.

21. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 19
Women in welfare to work
consistent over many years and
across many sectors, and reveals that
while overt and covert discrimination
undoubtedly exist in some areas,
women often choose not to compete at
higher levels for reasons of confidence,
a lack of role models and preferring a
more co-operative environment to the
male, competitive boardroom. Whether
this applies to employability has not yet
been researched.
There is sufficient evidence, however,
from other sectors that having boards
and senior management teams which
are non-diverse is self perpetuating
in maintaining gender bias and also
discourages women from applying for
promotion. The ‘men’s room’ is not yet
dead.
Looking back at my own career, it
was the advice and encouragement
given to me by Julia Cleverdon
(Industrial Society and BIC) as part of
a women’s development programme
that encouraged me to develop my own
company when there were even fewer
top women in the sector. It was Eleanor
Macdonald and Women in Management
members who gave me a reference
point for my own abilities. There are
some fantastic role models within
welfare to work: Breege Burke, Jackie
Fisher, Fran Parry, Helen Richardson and
Kirsty McHugh, to name a few.
In the challenging times in which
welfare to work finds itself, what is
known is that we need to attract, retain,
encourage and develop talented people
if we are to succeed in getting people
into sustainable employment. With
the economic situation as it is, there
has never been a more difficult time
and working in such pressure means
that, as an industry, staff turnover
is high. Offering the opportunity to
network and be mentored is one way
of providing support and encouraging
retention and promotion prospects.
More information about Women in
Welfare to Work is available from the
Institute of Employability website
and from Fran Parry,
at fran.parry@cesi.org.uk.
as banking, media and medicine, where
women were not achieving leadership
positions commensurate with their
numbers in the industry. Some larger
companies have specific programmes to
encourage the development of women.
However, women’s groups within any
sector are never without criticism and
Women in Welfare to Work has had its
share of unhelpful remarks. Women’s
groups, including Women in Welfare
to Work, are not about exclusivity,
strident feminism, quotas or positive
discrimination but about mutual
support, and promoting both equality
and fairness.
The research on why women do
not break through the glass ceilings
in organisations has proved fairly
Only 20 per cent of chief
executive or managing
director roles within prime
contractors are carried out
by women. In the three
largest Work Programme
primes there are no
female chief executives or
managing directors
There is sufficient evidence,
however, from other sectors
that having boards and
senior management teams
which are non-diverse
is self perpetuating in
maintaining gender bias
and also discourages
women from applying for
promotion
www.iStockphoto.com

22. 20 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Universal Credit and equality
Impact of Universal Credit
on women
The introduction of Universal Credit risks emphasising
inequalities between men and women, says Helen Crowther.
Here she makes recommendations to tackle the benefit’s key
barriers to equality.
T
he rollout of Universal Credit
from 2013 will be the biggest
welfare reform since the
inception of the welfare state
in 1948. By creating a single household
benefit for those on low incomes,
the government will attempt to
simplify benefit payments, to reduce
bureaucracy, and motivate those within
a household to aspire to work.
But there are risks that Universal
Credit could reinforce or exacerbate
inequalities between men and women,
and reinforce female dependence.
This article sets out three key
obstacles that need to be overcome
in order to avoid the policy furthering
inequalities:
„„ the low incentive to work for second
earners in a household, who are
more likely to be women
„„ the low incentive for lone parents to
progress in work
„„ the risk that ‘household’ payments
disadvantage women in couple
households.
Improving the incentive to work for
second earners
Women tend to have a weaker link
to the labour market than men, and
in couple households women are less
likely to be the main earner. This is
partly because women still undertake
the majority of care work – up to three-
quarters of the family’s childcare in a
working week.1
This can make it harder
for women to work full time, and make
it more likely for them to work part time
(with 5.1 million women, compared to
1.4 million men, working part time).2
More broadly, working women also tend
to earn less than working men – on
average 20 per cent less.3
For these reasons, it is important that
there are clear returns from work for
second earners and clear incentives to
increase earnings. This is particularly
important for couple households on
low incomes: households where only
one partner works full time account for
12 per cent of households in poverty,
compared to seven per cent where both
work full time.4
But under Universal Credit up to
330,000 second earners will see a
weakening of work incentives.5
After
the threshold of the earnings disregard
has been passed, the proportions of
earnings kept will be greater for first
earners. This could mean that, in many
cases, first earners can keep over
1 Cabinet Office (2006), Equalities Review:
interim report for consultation
2 Office for National Statistics (2010)
3 Office for National Statistics (2011)
4 Department for Work and Pensions (2011),
Households Below Average Income: an
analysis of income distribution 1994/5–
2009/10, Department for Work and Pensions
5 Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion (2011),
Universal Credit: Inclusion briefing
Helen Crowther
is Policy and
Communications Intern
at Inclusion

23. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 21
Universal Credit and equality
40 per cent of their income whereas
second earners keep between 24 per
cent and 35 per cent.6
While more
income into a household would be
welcomed, the possible rewards are
lessened for second earners. Rationally,
a second earner would need to consider
a number of factors before they might
commit to work.
Under the previous system, work
incentives for second earners were
greater and there was also more leeway
before changes in earnings had to be
reported: only changes above £25,000
had to be notified within the tax year.
This fell to £10,000 in 2011, will fall to
6 S. Himmelweit (2011), Notes on Issues
Concerning Second Earners, Women’s
Budget Group
£5,000 by 20137
and will disappear
completely under Universal Credit, as
real-time information will be used.
Another disincentive for second
earners is the high cost of childcare.
Childcare costs for a child under two are
£100 per week on average (and can rise
to £300 in London),8
which, in many
cases, would wipe out what is left after
Universal Credit has been withdrawn.
The government has committed to
spending an additional £300 million
on childcare support under Universal
Credit. This is welcome but a large
driver of recent increases in childcare
costs for low-income parents has been
the reduction in support since the
spending review, with costs of childcare
increasing by 50 per cent.9
How could this situation be
improved? One option would be to
7 HM Revenue & Customs, Overview: the
income disregard, manual CCM1135
8 Daycare Trust (2012), Childcare costs survey
2012
9 A. Stratton (2011), ‘Childcare Credit Reform
will Penalise some Women’, The Guardian, 13
November 2011
introduce an additional disregard for
the second earner entering work (if
necessary, offsetting this by marginally
reducing disregards elsewhere). We
know that second earners are more
likely to respond to financial incentives,
and that second earners tend to be
women10
– so not only could improving
incentives be an effective way of
getting more women into work (and
lifting more families out of poverty)
but it would increase the proportion of
women with independent income.
10 I. Veitch (2010), A Gender Perspective on 21st
Century Welfare Reform, Oxfam
It is important that there
are clear returns from work
for second earners and
clear incentives to increase
earnings
Not only could improving
incentives be an effective
way of getting more
women into work (and
lifting more families out
of poverty) but it would
increase the proportion of
women with independent
income
Illustrationbyhelenjoubert

24. 22 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Universal Credit and equality
Alongside this, there are strong
arguments for investing more in
childcare. As the Institute for Public
Policy Research has found, universal
childcare could pay for itself through
additional tax revenue from mothers’
wages.11
Improve the incentive for lone
parents to progress in work
Lone parents make up 10 per cent of
all households, and 92 per cent of lone
parents are women. Children in lone-
parent households are more likely to be
poor than those in couple households
and their parents are much less likely to
be in work: 44 per cent of lone parents
are out of work.12
Universal Credit needs
to ensure there are strong financial
incentives (and support) for lone
parents to start work and progress.
Under Universal Credit, lone parents
will have much stronger incentives to
work part time. A lone parent with two
children earning the national minimum
wage will be better off under Universal
Credit compared with the current
system if they work anything up to 23
hours, largely because Universal Credit
abolishes the old ‘hours rules’, which
meant that parents working shorter
hours could not claim tax credits. This is
a positive development as it will enable
lone parents to balance work and care
responsibilities better.
However, this improvement in
incentives at shorter hours will be offset
11 D. Ben-Galim (2011), Making the Case for
Universal Childcare, Institute for Public Policy
Research
12 ONS (2010), Work and Worklessness
among Households, ONS Statistical Bulletin,
September 2010, table 4
by relatively weaker financial returns
from working more than 23 hours under
Universal Credit. This could undermine
incentives to progress once in work
which exist under the current system.
Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal
Studies suggests that lone parents
working for 30 hours will lose 76.2 per
cent of income in taxes, compared to
73 per cent under the current system.13
Factoring in the high cost of childcare,
another analysis suggests that single
parents on the minimum wage could
lose 94p out of every pound they earn
over 24 hours a week.14
Ensure that ‘household’ payments
are fair
Under current proposals, Universal
Credit will be paid to one member in
a couple household. The government
argues that as the household decides
which person is paid, ‘both partners
play an equal part in the claim’.15
In
practice though, the male partner tends
to be the main claimant of means-
tested benefits.16
Research has shown that in low-
income households particularly,
where men are main earners or main
claimants, they tend to keep most
income as personal spending money
13 M. Brewer, J. Browne and W. Jin (2011),
Universal Credit: a preliminary analysis,
Institute for Fiscal Studies
14 D. Hirsch (2011), Childcare Support and the
Hours Trap: Universal Credit, Resolution
Foundation
15 Department for Work and Pensions (2011),
Impact Assessment: conditionality measure in
the 2011 Welfare Reform Bill
16 Department for Work and Pensions (2010),
Equality Impact Assessment for ‘Universal
Credit: Welfare that Works’ (Cm 7957)
and give their partner a proportion for
daily spending for the family’s basic
needs. This means that women suffer
disproportionately when a household’s
finances are under pressure, as they
spend less on their own needs. This is
often detrimental to a woman’s physical
and mental health.17
The simplest solution, and one
proposed by the Women’s Budget
Group, would be to split Universal
Credit in half within a household.18
This
will increase equal access to income
between couples, and provide for more
shared financial decisions. This split is
essential. Currently one in four women
have no access to personal spending
money in households where men earn
or draw benefits.19
Conclusion
Universal Credit is to be welcomed
for its simplicity and transparency. In
creating a single benefit and rule of
benefit withdrawal, households can
tell more easily whether work pays.
However, in making such fundamental
reforms to the system, it is important to
ensure work does actually pay for men
and women, and to consider impacts on
distributions of resources within couple
households.
Key priorities needing consideration
are to increase incentives for second
earners to work in couple households,
and for lone parents to progress once in
work. Also, splitting Universal Credit in a
couple household will ensure that both
people have access to independent
income, allowing them to meet their
own needs.
17 H. Sutherland, F. Bennett and S. Himmelweit
(2006), Within Household Inequalities and
Public Policy, Women’s Budget Group
18 Women’s Budget Group (2011), Welfare
Reform Bill 2011 – Universal Credit payment
issues: briefing from Women’s Budget Group
19 K. Hansen, E. Jones, H. Joshi, D. Budge (eds.)
(2010), Millennium Cohort Study 4th Survey:
a user’s guide to initial findings – second
edition, Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Universal Credit needs to
ensure there are strong
financial incentives (and
support) for lone parents to
start work and progress
Currently one in four
women have no access to
personal spending money
in households where men
earn or draw benefits

25. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 23
10–11 July 2012
ICC, Birmingham
Each year 1,000 delegates from across the UK
gather to hear the latest developments, share
experiences and discuss best practice.
The key words for 2012 are delivery and performance, the
expectations from Jobcentre Plus and the Work Programme are
clear. People need to know ‘what works’ and to be confident of
sound information and analysis. The Welfare to Work UK 2012
Convention will play an important role with this and aim to help
you deliver better results for claimants.
Make sure you’re a part of the most prestigious
event in the Welfare to Work calendar!
Book now
professional
skills
advice
sustainedjobs
community
support
employers
opportunity
local
training
results
what works
Organised by:
Patron sponsor:
Call for papers and workshops
now open!
Do you have something that is different you
want to share with our Convention audience?
Inclusion is looking for innovative showcases that
demonstrate unique practices
that work. Our call for papers
and workshops is open to all
sector professionals, policy-
makers, employers, prime
providers, and organisations
working as subcontractors
in the government’s Work
Programme.
Apply online at www.cesi.org.uk/convention
For more information about this year’s
exhibition and sponsorship please contact the
events team on 020 7582 7221 or by email at
events@cesi.org.uk
*closing date for submissions: Friday 27 April 2012. Please review our
submission guidelines online.
Convention supporters:

26. 24 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Three top tips for
tweets with impact
The best impact tweets are usually when you start a conversation that sparks interest in
other people, or when you join in the conversation of others with your own perspective;
taking part in the conversation on Twitter is where the action and the connections are
made. Supporters that tweet about you are much more effective then telling everybody
how good you are!
If you are tweeting on behalf of a charity or organisation, you need to know who you are
as well as what you do; each organisation has a kind of personality! You can agree what
that is before you get in too deep, so you are tweeting in a recognised style.
How to increase your
followers and reach
the biggest audience
Be creative! St Loye’s had a 24 hour tweet (#24hrtweet) using eight virtual volunteers,
working with two other charities in Devon, each taking a session throughout a 24
hour period. It was amazing and at 8am on a Saturday we ‘trended’ so we would have
reached a huge audience. You can read a blog that was written about this by one of the
volunteers at bit.ly/gpUWbi.
Using Twitter to
grow ‘real world’
contacts
I had not met the majority of virtual volunteers from the #24hrtweet, but after the event
we arranged to meet up, laugh, talk about the event and to get to know each other in
the real world. Firm contacts were made that have promoted us to others as well!
Real contacts are made through tweet-ups and social events advertised on Twitter. Also,
individual contacts are made but it is important to make friends online first to build
credibility and so it is not abused as a sales tool, as Twitter is really not for that.
Twitter no-nos Don’t get into an argument – a debate is fine but don’t go over the line, if you do, hit the
delete button, we all make mistakes sometimes!
Watch language; even humour can sometimes be taken wrongly. Having said that, it is ok
to have fun!
It is not about getting money out of people or selling your wares, it is about building
relationships and joining in. If you are tweeting on behalf of your organisation, keep to its
personality and style, and agree boundaries and any limitations.
Benefits of Twitter to
the voluntary sector
You reach people far and wide! It is an opportunity to keep supporters up to date with
news, give people useful information, and learn about issues that concern them and you.
You also hear comments about your organisation from others and learn how you are
viewed by the followers.
My Twitter role
model
Sue Windley is creative, funny, imaginative with a really positive attitude and has been a
bit of a mentor to me and shown me the power of Twitter:
Sue Windley @DangerousMkting.
The person you
wouldn’t expect me
to be following
Well, this is a bit of a secret… I follow myself. When I first started Twitter, I set up an
account in the name of my dog, to learn how to use it before I put my organisation
through it! That feed now has nearly a 1,000 followers all over the world.
Using
Social
Media
Karen Clarke, trailblazing
tweeter, tells how Twitter can
benefit the voluntary sector.
Karen Clarke is Head of Business Development and
Marketing at St Loye’s Foundation: @Stloyes

27. Advertorial
info@cesi.org.uk Spring 2012 | Working Brief | 25
Vital statistics: how are we performing?
Having founded and grown a company that specialises in
employability related solutions, Liam Jordan, Managing Director
of ICONI Software, shares his experience of successfully delivering
software solutions for management and reporting on complex
customer-support programmes.
to deliver specific outcomes. Support
programmes for individuals are organic
by nature and should be tailored to suit
need, as and when required.
Systems should be flexible enough
to be changed easily but still have the
high levels of control in place to ensure
accurate recording and reporting of
performance. They should reflect the
complexities of the delivery model,
providing full visibility across all stages
of the customer’s journey to work,
and be capable of providing accurate
information at key stages. In other
words, designated systems should
perform and deliver on all levels, from
the individuals on programmes through
to decision-makers, i.e. they should be
fit for purpose.
Measure everything
Measuring staff caseloads and
associated individual support activity
is essential to managing a customer
support programme. The ideal
solution is one that has a balance
between tracking customer-orientated
information and managing the
performance of staff and partners. For
example, being notified automatically
that 50 individuals are eligible for a new
support programme is a great help but
only if you are also able to determine
quickly whether or not your staff or
partners are at full capacity.
Historically, financial information
resides outside customer support
systems and this can cause a disparity
between the operational and
accountancy periods. Key elements of
finance should be integrated directly
into systems in order to enable
accurate, real time reporting across
supply chains. Investing in bespoke
interfaces, such as dashboards, and
status and activity reporting, will
deliver the control needed to manage
programmes. Having access to robust
management information is essential
for key decisions, such as ensuring
customers are receiving the correct
levels of support.
Manage information, deliver
knowledge
ICONI’s range of innovative
employability software has been
specifically designed to help providers
of welfare to work services save time,
automate routine tasks and provide
better reporting tools, which enables
staff to be more customer focused
and generally better informed. If you
are interested in learning more about
ICONI Software and how our solutions
can help your organisation, please visit
our website www.iconi.co.uk or email
solutions@iconi.co.uk
Important questions deserve answers
Even with all the advances in
technology, we are regularly introduced
to senior management who are
increasingly frustrated because
they cannot get access to timely
management information. This can
result in delayed or even incorrect
decisions being made. Why is this? Do
they have a legacy system that is not
fit for purpose? Is the information they
need not being captured? Does it take
days to collate the data manually? It
can be a mix of all of the above but
fundamentally systems should provide
answers to your important questions.
Don’t blame it on IT
All too often these issues are blamed
on the ‘IT system’. However, in our
experience these issues occur because
the business and operational processes
have not been successfully transferred
or mirrored within the management
information system (MIS). The Work
Programme has been described as
a ‘black box approach to delivery’,
yet a ‘black box’ is actually a very
complex machine carefully developed

28. 26 | Working Brief | spring 2012 info@cesi.org.uk
Women in the labouR market
Broader trends do nothing to soften
the blow for older female workers. The
competition for part-time work – the
first choice of many women over 50 – is
increasing as more people take part-
time work because they can’t find full-
time jobs. In addition, employment in
the public sector continues to fall, which
will have a disproportionate effect on
the older female workforce.
Commenting on March’s
unemployment figures, Dr Ros Altmann,
Director General of Saga said:
‘The latest unemployment figures
are truly shocking and older women
are among the worst hit. Our research
has found that unemployment among
older women has reached its highest
level since records began, with 156,000
women aged over 50 currently out of
work. The number of jobless women in
this age group has risen by 24 per cent
For 40 years, government, local
authorities and their partners have been
focused on improving the outcomes for
people and families living in the UK’s
most disadvantaged areas. There have
been successes but the places that were
poor 40 years ago remain the ones
where disadvantage prevails.
This convention brings together
organisations to share best practice
and the most recent developments in
how families and communities can be
supported, and how employment is
pivotal in achieving sustained change.
The convention will take place at
Blackburne House
www.blackburnehouse.co.uk, located
in L8. Originally prosperous, dominated
by Georgian buildings and home to
the city’s two cathedrals, this area has
also experienced significant problems,
including the Toxteth riots and
disturbances over the summer of 2011.
The Women’s Technology and
Education Centre was set up in 1983
by Claire Dove MBE, DL to widen the
range and number of opportunities
for the women of Merseyside. She
identified Blackburne House as the
perfect place. Blackburne House is
dedicated to women’s education and
Forthcoming Event
Families,
Communities
and Places:
a new way
forward for
delivery
22 May 2012
Blackburne House, Liverpool.
Unemployment among women over 50
at highest level in 20 years
enterprise, and opened some of the first
social enterprises in the UK. It provides
an ideal backdrop for Inclusion North
West’s convention in May.
To focus on families, communities and
places, we must consider the role of
women who not only have been hit by
the recession (over one million are out
of work and many are under-employed
in part-time, low-paid employment)
but hold the key to unlocking the
transformation needed in families and
communities.
The event will focus on:
„„ Government social justice strategy
„„ Troubled families
„„ Complex families
„„ Community Budgets
„„ Personalised services working with
families
„„ Multi-agency working.
in the past year, significantly higher
than the eight per cent increase seen
for women across all ages.
‘Policy-makers and employers must
take note that people in older age
groups are suffering abnormally high
levels of unemployment with nearly half
(43 per cent) of unemployed over 50s
out of work for more than a year, which
is higher than the 32 per cent seen for
UK unemployment as a whole. With
their savings dwindling in value owing
to low interest rates and high levels of
inflation making living costs a strain,
the lack of jobs and subsequent income
for older people is a critical issue that
cannot be ignored and if this is not
addressed, we will be wasting hugely
valuable resources.’
Laura Gardiner is a Labour Market
Researcher at Inclusion
The labour market statistics
published in March paint
a bleak picture for older
women in the workforce.
The number of unemployed
women over 50 has
exceeded 150,000 for the
first time since comparable
records began in 1992.
While the unemployment rate for older
men has been declining over the past
couple of years, the rate for women
over 50 is back at levels last seen in
the late nineties. The number of older
women claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance,
84,600, is also the highest it has ever
been.
To book your place,
visit the Events
section of the
Inclusion website at
www.cesi.org.uk.

29. info@cesi.org.uk spring 2012 | Working Brief | 27
Women in the labouR market
Lorraine Lanceley is
Principal Researcher at
Inclusion
Building a sustainable, quality,
part-time recruitment market
in London
The research finds that:
„„ There are approximately 82,000
mothers in London with the
potential to earn £20,000 per year
(full-time equivalent) who are not
currently doing so.1
This equates to
one in every 13 mothers in London.
„„ Of these, an estimated 20,000
mothers could lift their families out
of poverty through well-paid, part-
time employment, and between
11,000 and 17,000 mothers could
move their families off out-of-work
benefits altogether.
The research also looked at what
triggers employers to generate quality2
part-time vacancies and what can help
grow this market.
The key findings from 1,000 employer
interviews were that:
„„ The part-time recruitment market
is skewed strongly in favour of
vacancies with salaries below
£20,000 full-time equivalent
earnings (FTE) – 20% of the market,
compared with 3% at £20,000 plus
FTE. This is in sharp contrast to the
full-time market, where the majority
of vacancies pay over £20,000. The
flexible recruitment market appears
1 This is based on analysis of the Labour Force
Survey by Inclusion and is the number of
mothers in London that could earn £20,000
full-time equivalent if they had the same
employment rates and wage levels as women
without children in London. This estimate
includes both women out of work and
women in work earning less than £20,000
(full-time equivalent) per year.
2 For the purpose of this research, ‘quality
part-time employment’ was defined as part-
time jobs earning at least £20,000 a year
full-time equivalent. However, the authors
acknowledge that income alone does not
define the ‘quality’ of a job.
to be under-developed for skilled
jobs where it could be of greatest
benefit to the economy.
„„ Part-time working at £20,000
plus FTE is primarily used as a
retention tool, as opposed to a
tool for recruitment. This restricts
employment mobility for skilled
candidates who need to work part
time: they may be able to reduce
their hours with existing employers
but will have difficulty switching to
new jobs or returning to work if they
leave employment temporarily.
„„ Some 27% of employers claimed
that they always advertise full-
time roles with the option to work
flexibly. Of these, 45% reported that
they ‘sometimes or frequently’ filled
full-time vacancies with advertised
pay of £20,000 or more with part-
time candidates – indicating that
the pool of part-time applicants is of
high quality.
„„ Resistance to part-time recruitment
was related to workplace culture,
with most resistance amongst
employers who had not previously
recruited part-time staff at £20,000
plus FTE. Concerns reduced with
experience – those who had
recruited at this level cited many
benefits and few disadvantages.
The research concludes that to
stimulate the market, the debate around
part-time working needs to move
away from new regulation and towards
the business benefits of flexibility.
Employers need to be convinced of the
quality of part-time candidates and to
see hard evidence that it can work for
their businesses.
An estimated 20,000 mothers could lift their families out of poverty
through well paid, part-time employment, and between 11,000 and
17,000 mothers could move their families off out-of-work benefits
altogether, Lorraine Lanceley reveals.
R
esearch by Inclusion and other
organisations has shown time
and again that many mothers,
particularly for those who are
single parents, are keen to work part
time in order to balance their work and
family life. However, this often means
choosing from a limited number of part-
time and often low-paid jobs that do
not fully utilise their skills or potential
earnings level.
Research by Women Like Us,
Inclusion and Resolution Research
for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
went one step further in estimating the
number of mothers who would have the
potential to earn higher salaries if more
well-paid, part-time jobs were available
in London. It also explores what more
can be done to grow a quality part-time
recruitment market in London.