Women's Views on News |
| Pregnancy and discrimination in NI Posted: 01 Dec 2016 03:53 PM PST
Half of the women who responded to an Equality Commission investigation into the employment experiences of pregnant workers and mothers in Northern Ireland believe that their career opportunities have been negatively affected by their pregnancy or maternity leave. That is one of the findings of 'Expecting Equality: a Formal Investigation under the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976', which the Equality Commission for Northern Irelandpresented at a conference in the Titanic Building in Belfast earlier this week. The type of unfair treatment reported varied, including termination of employment, having their role changed against their wishes, and losing out on salary increases or bonus payments in comparison to their colleagues. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland began a formal investigation under the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 (as amended) in January 2015 to examine the employment experiences of pregnant workers and mothers in Northern Ireland. The investigation was deemed appropriate and necessary in light of the volume of inquiries received by the Commission regarding potential pregnancy and maternity discrimination and the growing body of research highlighting the persistence of potentially discriminatory treatment experienced by pregnant employees and mothers in workplaces throughout the United Kingdom. More than 900 mothers working in the private and public sector, with children aged under five, took part in the research. A significant percentage, 36 per cent, said they believed they had been treated unfairly or disadvantaged as a result of their pregnancy or maternity leave. They believed that as a female employee they were expected to make a choice between parenthood and a rewarding career path. Some women reported firms’ failure to consider the risks to health and safety of pregnant employees. Others said they were overlooked for promotion; a dilution of work responsibilities; were denied training; had changes to working hours; experienced a reduction in bonus payments and were subjected to negative comments. Of the employers surveyed in the investigation, the majority said that they provide support for pregnant employees and new mothers. They referred to policies and practices they had in place including flexible working arrangements, childcare vouchers and return to work incentives such as phased return and bonus payments. Some employers also identified challenges associated with managing pregnancy, maternity leave and return to work. Difficulties in providing for staff absences were a concern to small businesses in particular. The issues to be resolved, once summarised, are: Personal attitudes and behaviours: attitudes held about pregnant employees and working mothers which are largely based on negative stereotypes; Organisational policies and structures: organisational policies and structures may disadvantage pregnant employees and working mothers, or create an organisation which is unwilling or unable to be flexible and adapt to change; Societal or cultural barriers: societal or cultural barriers refer to the norms which determine women's roles in society and the devaluation of those roles; economic factors determining women's participation in the labour market, and the lack of sufficient affordable, quality, childcare in Northern Ireland. Dr Evelyn Collins, chief executive of Northern Ireland’s Equality Commission, said it was encouraging that almost half the women who responded to this investigation thought their employer had been supportive during their pregnancy and on their return to work. And, she continued: "We know that there are many employers who want to do their best for their employees, who follow good practice, and have effective policies in place for pregnant members of staff." But, she said: "The results of this investigation highlight the need for an increased focus on ensuring that workplaces are fairer for, and more supportive, of pregnant employees and new mothers." "We have made a number of recommendations in the report, to improve access to advice and information for employers and for employees, to improve employers' practices and to highlight the economic benefits of utilising and retaining the skills and experience of pregnant workers and new mothers. "We also want to encourage employers across all sectors to show leadership at a senior level to gender equality and to building an organisational culture that promotes gender equality in the workplace." "Over one third of the women who talked to the Commission about their experiences said that they had been treated unfairly or disadvantaged because of their pregnancy or because they took maternity leave. "They believe this affected their finances, their career opportunities, their status at work and their health. "This is not acceptable, forty years after the introduction of legislation in Northern Ireland to provide protection from sex discrimination in employment."  |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2016 03:46 PM PST
A new play about pioneers Ada and Alfred Salter is heading to south-east London after a long battle for funding by its writer and director, Alison Mead. Politic Man tells the true story of Ada and Alf Salter, the couple who transformed an impoverished area of south-east London in the first half of the last century with their 'Bermondsey Revolution' of local health care, housing regeneration and environmental change. The unveiling of 'Dr Salter's Daydream' by Diane Gorvin on 30 November 2014 brought the contribution of Ada Salter to the attention of many who had previously only heard her name. Ada Salter née Brown moved to the Bermondsey Settlement in 1897 from a prosperous background, and married in 1900. When women were given the right to stand in 1907, Ada became the first woman Councillor in Bermondsey and later the first Labour woman Councillor in London. In 1922, Ada was the first female mayor in London of any party. As part of Kier Hardie‘s Independent Labour Party, (ILP) Ada brought together the women's movement and labour. She spread ground-breaking ideas of urban development through her place on the London County Council (LCC) from 1925 and took planting to all corners of Britain byh chairing the National Gardens Guild. In Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, Ada headed up the Beautification Committee which was responsible for covering the borough with trees, plants and playgrounds. The replacement of old tenements with model housing that is both healthier and minimised housework proved a lasting legacy of the Salters’ work. Ada brought together her commitment to international peace with her passion for justice and the rights of women when she was elected President of the Women's International League and worked closely with the Nobel peace laureate Jane Addams to further the cause of global peace between the wars. She died in 1942. The play was due to tour venues across London earlier this year, but funding fell through at the last minute. It will now be performed at The Loft space at The Ugly Duck venue in Bermondsey on 17 and 18 December thanks to backing from the ILP, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Unity Theatre Trust. The Salters' story is one of a brilliant doctor, Alf Salter, and his campaigning wife, Ada, who dedicated their lives to the people of Bermondsey, a slum area overrun by squalor and disease. Alf introduced a free local health service for the poor long before there was a national health service, while Ada campaigned to improve housing and the environment, building gardens as part of a local 'beautifcation' programme. The play, to be staged by Mead's Three4All Theatre Company, "explores the antithesis between the public and the private face of politicians and asks if it is ever possible to stick to your principles at all times. "It is the true story of Alfred Salter and his wife Ada, who between them, stood for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections throughout their lives. "Salter and his wife proved that moral values and integrity could walk hand in hand with leadership. Through their eyes, we are asking what leadership really is." As a director, Alison Mead has been responsible for a wide variety of productions from Shakespeare at the South Bank to Checkhov at the Churchill Theatre Bromley. Finding that roles for older women were drying up so Mead turned her hand to writing for the stage and produced her own work with a newly formed company three4all theatre She is also Artistic Director of the newly formed Kent Coast Theatre which opened in September 2015 and will be focussed on the community in Kent where she lives. Kent Coast Theatre produced its inaugural production “Animal Farm” at the Horsebridge Arts Centre. There will be three performances of Politic Man on its opening weekend, followed by a London tour in January 2017. To book tickets, click here.  |
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