UK Women Losing Jobs at Twice the Rate of Men - Building Gender Balanced Business

• UK women are losing jobs amid the financial crisis at twice the rate of men, and the government is increasingly alarmed, worrying that they could be out of the workforce “for a generation”.

• For the latest quarter, the number of women in full-time work fell by 53,000, versus a decline of 36,000 for men. Thus, women are losing full-time jobs at twice the rate of men, because men significantly outnumber women in the workplace. (The reverse is true in the US.)

• Some ministers fear some of the women being laid off are victims of discrimination as bosses seek to avoid costs tied to longer maternity leave and new flexible working rights.

• The government plans:
1. an Equality and Human Rights Commission investigation into sex discrimination in the finance sector.
2. new training to help women vie for jobs.
3. checks to make sure companies do not target women unfairly.

• Prime Minister Gordon Brown is asking the leading economic powers to devote part of their G-20 meeting to discuss the recession’s effect on women.

The Times of London report