Women's Views on News |
- Women left out of economic recovery
- New mothers feel discriminated against at work
- Breast Cancer UK concerned about fracking
| Women left out of economic recovery Posted: 18 Aug 2014 06:35 AM PDT
New research for a report by the Fawcett Society shows that women – and especially those on low pay – are firmly shut out of the UK’s widely-reported economic recovery. The new report - The changing labour market 2: women, low pay and gender equality in the emerging recovery' - includes an analysis of national employment data and a survey of 1,003 low paid women. Low pay was defined as earning £7.44 per hour or less, or £1,128 per month or less. The report’s key findings include: Since the start of the crisis in 2008, almost a million (826,000) women have moved into types of work that are typically low paid and insecure. Since 2008, female under-employment has nearly doubled (to 789,000) and an additional 371,000 women have moved into self-employment, which is typically very low paid. And 1 in 8 low paid women now describe themselves as being on a zero hours contract; The increasing numbers of women in low paid work, along with the declining value of low pay, is contributing to the widening inequality gap between women and men. Last year the gender pay gap increased for the first time in five years and now stands at 19.1 per cent for all employees; and Low paid women are feeling the cost of living crisis sharply: nearly 1 in 2 say they feel worse off now than five years ago; nearly 1 in 10 have obtained a loan from a pay day lender in the last twelve months; and nearly 1 in 12 low paid women with children have obtained food from a food bank in the past twelve months. Commenting on these findings, Dr Eva Neitzert, deputy CEO at the Fawcett Society, said: "The evidence is clear: after five years of decline, the UK economy is back on the upswing. Employment is up, unemployment is down and GDP is improving. "However, as our research shows, low paid women are being firmly shut out of the recovery. "The numbers of women in low paid, insecure work are still alarmingly high. "Since the crisis in 2008 we have seen a nearly two-fold increase in the numbers of women working in insecure, part-time and temporary jobs where they would prefer to be in secure, full-time roles. "In addition, 371,000 more women have moved into self-employment – a form of work which is typically very low paid and where women earn an average of 40 per cent less than men. "We have also seen a sharp rise in the numbers of women on controversial zero hours contracts - 1 in 8 low paid women now describe themselves as being on a zero hours contract, the majority through necessity rather than choice. "Overall, since 2008 almost a million extra women have moved into types of work that are typically low paid and insecure. "We are concerned that at a time when the numbers of women on low pay are increasing, the value of their pay is declining in real terms, meaning they are struggling more than ever to makes ends meet. "1 in 2 low paid women told us that they felt worse off than five years ago. "Even the planned increase to the national minimum wage this October will only increase the value of the wage to 2005 levels in real terms. "It is clear that work is not providing a sufficient route out of poverty for low paid women: almost half are being forced to rely on benefits to top up inadequate wages, 1 in 10 are accessing pernicious pay day loans and 1 in 12 low paid women with children are having to resort to food banks. "Our research also reveals that many low paid women are working substantially below their qualification and skill levels. "Over a third consider themselves over-qualified for the job they are doing and shockingly, over 1 in 5 of those working below £7.44 per hour are educated to degree level. "This is not only bad for individual women, it's hugely damaging to the economy at large with talent simply going to waste. "Whilst the economy moves into recovery it's clear that that low paid women are not benefitting and, in many respects, are seeing their position deteriorate. "In turn, this is contributing to the widening inequality gap between women and men. Last year we saw the gender pay gap, one of the key indicators of equality between women and men, increase for the first time in five years. "On average, women now take home only 81p for every £1 a man earns. "After years of slow but steady progress, this is a damming indictment of the government's record when it comes to women's standing in the economy. "Overall, 1 in 4 of all female employees in the UK is in low paid work, compared with around 1 in 7 men. "This equates to around 3 million female workers. "From cleaners, dinner ladies and care assistants to supermarket workers and admin assistants, these women undertake crucial work that helps to hold the fabric of society together. "But rather than benefitting from the current growth we are seeing in the UK, it is clear that the situation for these women is actually declining. "All the major parties have talked about how vital it is that the skills and abilities of women are fully utilised in the emerging recovery, and of the need to tackle the on-going inequality gap between women and men. "In order to prove that they are serious about this, and that when they refer to 'women' they mean all women, there are a range of firm commitments we would like to see the parties include in their 2015 election manifestos. "We urgently need to tackle the unacceptably low wages paid to women by substantially increasing the value of national minimum wage. "[The] Government should also take the lead in supporting the take-up of the Living Wage by encouraging local councils to adopt it and through instating it across Whitehall. "At the same time, more must be done to increase the availability of quality, part-time and flexible roles –again, government should lead the way by ensuring that all roles in the public sector are advertised on a flexible basis as routine. "Last month we warmly welcomed the announcement by the Liberal Democrat party that they will be including a commitment in their manifesto to enact section 78 of the Equality Act which requires big businesses to publish information on their gender pay gaps. "This is a long-standing Fawcett demand, and will help lift the lid on unequal pay for at least 1,750,000 employees in the UK. "We would now like to see all the other major parties match this commitment and show that they too are serious about addressing the scandal of the widening gender pay gap." The TUC's General Secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "It's great that more women are in employment but for too many working life just means a different kind of poverty and insecurity. "The alarming shift in the UK's job market towards low-pay and casualised contracts is hitting women hardest and risks turning the clock back on decades of progress towards equal pay. "Unless more is done to tackle poverty wages and job insecurity women in particular will be excluded from Britain's economic recovery."  |
| New mothers feel discriminated against at work Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:10 AM PDT
A study carried out by law firm Slater & Gordon has found concrete evidence of what feminists have been saying for years: women are often routinely discriminated against after having children. Despite the recent – and they are still very recent, as the Equal Pay Act was only passed in 1970 – gains in gender equality at work, discrimination is still happening in the UK. Nearly half of the women spoken to by Slater & Gordon felt guilty for taking maternity leave at all. Three quarters felt that their employer lost interest in them and 63 per cent reported that their boss “had a negative perception of working mothers”. This is backed up by what actually happens in the workplace: 18 per cent of women were offered less senior roles after returning from maternity leave, and 8 per cent were actually demoted. Kiran Daurka, a senior employment lawyer with Slater & Gordon, said, “Some employers don’t seem to value mothers in the workplace at all and we hear from women who are side-lined from the minute they announce their pregnancy. “But the desire to keep their job means that often women feel they have to turn a blind eye and watch as their male peers get promoted to senior management.” Some mothers don’t even take all the time off they are entitled to – 30 per cent are back three months after giving birth, because they were worried they would be sacked or simply felt under pressure to get back to work. When the pay gap is brought up, many naysayers often claim that women just don’t work as hard as men. This research shows that they are, in fact, deliberately passed over for pay rises or promotions after having a child in a way that men are not. This sexist trend would also explain why the most senior jobs tend to go to men – 70 per cent of the top positions in the key sectors are held by men. Slater & Gordon released the research to coincide with the launch of Helping Working Mums, a site set up to encourage women to share their experiences of maternity discrimination and highlight the issues faced by working mothers. This penalising of women for daring to have a child is one of the most obvious forms of gender discrimination, and it needs to stop.  |
| Breast Cancer UK concerned about fracking Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:30 AM PDT
What is fracking? "Hydraulic fracturing" or "fracking", for short, is the term given to the technique used to access gas held within shale beds. During this process, a borehole is drilled and a steel pipe is inserted. The pipe is perforated in target zones that contain oil or gas. A mixture of water, chemicals and sand, is pumped into the borehole at pressures high enough to cause a fracture in the target zone. The sand or other materials called "proppants", prop open the fractures and allow the gas to flow out into the borehole. Where does it take place? Significant volumes of shale gas have been extracted via fracking in the USA, but exploration of the technique in the UK and Europe is relatively recent. The British Geological Survey (BGS) suggests that the UK has 'abundant' shales at depth. However, it is not yet known how much shale gas or oil may be extracted or whether the process in this country is commercially viable. Studies suggest that areas in which existing conventional gas has been found in the UK have the most potential for fracking. The BGS has identified potential areas in northern England around the Pennine Basin, in the Kimmeridge Clay of the Weald Basin in Surrey and Sussex, the Oil-Shale Group of the Midland Valley and the central belt of Scotland. Why should we be concerned? Chemicals are used in the fracking process in an attempt to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of extraction. They are added to the water to facilitate boring, reduce friction, to shorten drilling time and to prevent accidents. Biocides are used to prevent bacterial growth, stabilisers are used to prevent corrosion of metal pipes and acids are used to remove mud damage caused by drilling within the area. The number and combination of chemicals used is site dependent. However, dozens to hundreds of chemicals are often used at any one time. Millions of gallons of fluid are injected into boreholes during the fracking process. Chemicals are said to account for between 0.5-1 per cent of the mixture which equates to approximately 20-40,000 gallons of chemicals being used in each well. Reports differ as to how much of the fluid stays in the ground. The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers indicate that between 10 per cent and 70 per cent of it is recovered, suggesting that anything between 30 per cent and 90 per cent can remain underground. "Flowback", or those fluids which return to the surface, are stored in open pits or tanks prior to disposal. Flowback can carry the toxic gasses, liquids and solid material that naturally occur in underground oil to the surface. Studies carried out in the USA reveal that chemicals used in fracking have contaminated groundwater and have led to drinking water contamination. In addition, towards the end of the fracking process, waste gas is set alight to dispose of it, which emits harmful gases. How is fracking linked to breast cancer? There is no conclusive evidence that fracking causes breast cancer. However, many of the chemicals used in fracking are known chemicals of concern and have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. For example, benzene, acrylamide, formaldehyde and ethylene oxide are all used in fracking and are all listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as human carcinogens and have been linked to breast cancer tumours in other studies. Other chemicals used, such as toluene, bisphenol A and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are known endocrine disrupting chemicals with strong links to breast cancer risk. One study, which gathered health data on a small percentage of the chemicals used in fracking, found that more than 25 per cent of them can cause cancer and mutations and 37 per cent can affect the endocrine system. This study worked under the assumption that their results "underestimated the consequences of the health impacts to the labor (sic) force, residents living in close proximity to the wells and those depending upon potable and agricultural water that could be affected by natural gas operations". Of additional concern is that a large proportion of the chemicals used in fracking have not been tested for adverse health effects in humans. Links to other diseases: Fracking is also linked to a host of other diseases and disorders from the relatively minor, such as rashes, nosebleeds, joint pain and headaches, to more serious disorders such as, breathing difficulties, memory loss, and intestinal problems; One study found that 75 per cent of the chemicals used can affected the skin, eyes and other sensory organs, respiratory system and gastrointestinal system and more than half can affect the brain and nervous system; and One study also linked fracking to congenital heart defects and neural tube defects in new born babies. What is the current regulatory position on fracking? Shale gas drilling is only in the exploratory phase in the UK. However, the UK Government has stated that it believes that fracking could provide the UK with a more effective and efficient energy source and are, therefore, encouraging exploration to determine its potential. Public Health England carried out a review of the risks to public health from exposure to emissions from fracking and concluded that: "the risks to public health from exposure to emissions from shale gas extractions are low if operations are properly run and regulated". However, other agencies have expressed concern about the sketchiness of the available information and the inability to rule out adverse environmental impacts and have, therefore, advised against further exploration until more data becomes available. Moreover, there are doubts that the fracking process can be "well run and well regulated" and there can be no guarantee that human exposure to carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals will not increase as a result of fracking. Breast Cancer UK's position: Breast Cancer UK has strong concerns about the potentially adverse health effects of increased exposure to harmful chemicals as a result of fracking. Breast Cancer UK supports its European partners’ calls for a "moratorium on all exploration and exploitation licensing in all EU countries [including the UK] and a comprehensive review of EU policies which pertain to fracking".  |
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