Case study: Fawcett Society
The Fawcett Society campaigns and works for the social and economic justice of women. The Fawcett Society's history dates back to 1866 to its originator, Millicent Garrett Fawcett. Since then The Fawcett Society has campaigned for equality for women
“We will lead a movement of individuals, businesses and organisations to bring about changes in legislation, policy, practice and cultures" (Fawcett Society website).
Interview
The case study below is based on an interview with Kat Banyard, Campaigns Officer for the Fawcett's campaign, "Sexism and the City", which focuses on the forms of discrimination and disadvantage that women experience in the workplace, including pay gap issues and sexual exploitation.
The views expressed are those of the interviewee, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department.
Barriers to fairer employment
"The lack of women in the board room and unequal pay will not go away by itself”, says Kat. “Policies and procedures addressing gender issues need to be mainstreamed; they shouldn't be seen as just relevant to HR or the equality unit. They have got to be a core part of the strategic business plan of the company in order for them to be realised, and also in order for the company to benefit from diversity and equality."
According to Kat, the main barriers to fairer employment of women are, "structural issues in the workplace, which can prevent women from developing in the workplace. That includes a lack of flexible working. Employers need to make sure that flexible working is mainstreamed throughout the organisation, and it is not just seen as special dispensation to certain groups."
Kat says that making flexible working available for employees with children up to a certain age is not enough on its own, nor is a policy that enables all employees to work flexibly. She argues that organisations need to make flexible working the standard way of working for everyone: "unless this happens, flexible working will be seen, within the company, as 'the mummy track' – a special dispensation."
Kat says that other barriers are pregnancy discrimination; around 30,000 women lose their jobs annually because of pregnancy. Sexual harassment and sexual objectification are still commonplace for women in the workplace. One specific issue is the inappropriate choice of corporate entertainment venues, such as lap dancing clubs. Kat says "it is important that employees understand that there are very rigid policies and procedures in place to deal with that, and that companies are taking active steps to address these issues".
The ‘Fawcett Charter’
The Fawcett Society has set up the "Fawcett Charter". Businesses that sign up to the charter commit to taking necessary actions to stop the objectification of women. Kat says that the Fawcett Charter "is the first of its kind. It's groundbreaking and it really demonstrates a commitment to the reality of discrimination that women face on a daily basis." Signing the Fawcett Charter demonstrates an organisation's commitment to an inclusive work environment which addresses issues relating to women.
Addressing the gender pay gap
Kat says that one of the main factors contributing to the recent increase in the gender pay gap is firms not carrying out annual pay audits. According to Kat, only 17% of firms conduct a pay audit, meaning organisations are often unable to assess whether there is a problem or to put actions in place to rectify it. Kat says an audit will allow a business to assess “not just whether… female and male employees are being paid the same amount for the same work, but also look at job evaluation, [making] sure that traditional women's roles in the firm are not being undervalued compared to male-dominated areas."
Conclusion
This case study highlights the need to mainstream diversity and equality across the organisation and to embed it into all policies; for instance making flexible working relevant for all employees and not just associated with one group. It also highlights the way an organisation's culture can impact negatively on diversity and exclude sectors of the workforce, by seeming to endorse objectification (for example, through the choice of entertainment). It emphasises the need for up-to-date and accurate information, as firms cannot take action if they do not know there is a problem.
