The theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is #EachforEqual – an equal world is an enabled world. The message is clear and simple: individually and collectively we can all actively challenge negative gender based stereotypes by fighting bias, broadening perceptions and being positive role models.
We all have family responsibilities, regardless of our gender. Today’s parents typically want to be equally involved in family and parental responsibilities. However, childcare, caring, domestic and family responsibilities are frequently unfairly stereotyped as ‘women’s work’. This fuels discriminatory practices in and outside of the workplace.
Family friendly policies in the UK are far above average on an international scale. However statistics show that we can and must do better. It is clear that time out of the labour market to look after young children, coupled with the perception of women as carers sets back women’s earning power and can lead to discrimination against women on the grounds of sex, pregnancy and maternity. This perception can also put pressure on men to be the breadwinner and focus on work rather than family.
According to national campaign group ‘Pregnant then Screwed’,
- 54,000 women a year are pushed out of their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity leave;
- 77% of working mums have encountered negative or discriminatory treatment at work;
- 33% of employers say they would avoid hiring a woman of childbearing age;
- 44% of working mums say they earn less than before they had children.
Tools for change
The good news is that this can change. Although everyone has the right to request flexible working and many couples have the option of taking up Shared Parental Leave (SPL), we have not seen a significant uptake by men of either option. My previous blog, SPL – men it could be time to burn your boxers, explains why the system has been so widely criticised. It is complex, subject to strict eligibility requirements and uneconomical for most working families. And unsurprisingly it is estimated that only 1 – 2% of those eligible have taken it up. Persistent social stigma also continues to prevent some men from working flexibly and/or taking SPL.
A more straightforward and attractive system may well be introduced in the future, with additional pay and leave available for both parents, such as those systems in place in Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Further, Flexible working advocates such as Mother Pukka are campaigning for all jobs to be advertised as flexible from day 1.
Improvements to the framework may well be afoot, potentially making flexible working and time out of the labour market after the birth of a child a non-gendered society norm. In the meantime, we can all contribute to ensuring there is a shift in attitude, by challenging bias and by ensuring an equal sharing of family responsibilities and parental duties.
Normalising parental leave and flexible working for everyone, irrespective of gender, will help quash negative stereotypes about women. It will also reduce stigma, better enabling men and women to participate equally in the home and the workplace. This will help more women remain in the workforce after having children, reduce discrimination, narrow the gender pay gap, stamp out unequal pay and encourage bonding between fathers and young children. There are clear benefits for children, women, men, the workplace, employers and society at large.
Everyone can be a positive role model for future generations and help dispel the myth that family responsibilities are ‘women’s work’. Let’s all play our part #EachforEqual
