FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 7 Participation and Pay in the Labour Market Leadership pipeline Managing the Personal and the Professional Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental concerns for business. Legislation requiring gender pay gap reporting, and increased media exposure of sexist and discriminatory practices and behaviours in public and private sector organisations alike are strengthening the pressure for change. Yet, progress towards gender equality is slow. Women continue to be under-represented in positions of power and organisation decision-making, and progress towards inclusion can be hampered by organisational policies and practices. The Gender Matters project, established in 2018, has been reviewing a range of workplace gender challenges every two years in response to this enduring need for inclusive business practices, and as a resource to stimulate discussion and action. Since our 2020 reviewof gender challenges, we have experienced a global pandemic that has had a significant and continuing impact onworking practices and lives. Times of crisis bring inequalities into stark relief, and the pandemic years have shown the detrimental effects of existing inequalities. Many jobsmoved to home-basedworking, resulting inwomen taking on themajority of domestic care. Combinedwith a lack of access to schools and care facilities, these pressures put women’s jobs and career advancement at risk, jeopardising the hard-won achievements of the past decades. In 2023, the effects of the pandemic are joined by uncertain times with the rising cost of living and an impending recession. Our 2022 Gender Matters brochure, funded by the UKRI ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, and in collaboration with The Work Foundation and Diversity UK, provides a clear indication of the entwined effects of Covid-19 and the growing challenge of insecure work. Our review, published in late 2022, highlights the significant negative effects on women’s equality and ability to progress, and in particular, the additional disadvantage faced by Black and Minority ethnic women. Three core challenges persist for women at work. PARTICIPATION AND PAY IN THE LABOUR MARKET Despite some improvements, on a global scale women’s economic participation in the labour force remains far behind men’s. Research by TheWork Foundation finds that women are far more likely than men to experience severely insecure work (26%of working women compared with 14.1%of working men). External factors have an impact too. In the UK, Covid-19 has made it even harder for women from minority ethnic groups to get into the workplace. 53% Secure UK GENDER WORK INSECURITY GAP 39% 33% Low/ Moderately insecure 35% 14% Severely insecure Men Women 26%
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