Gender Regime Changes in Britain in Light of the Economic Profile of Women - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The Equal Pay Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, and the Equal Opportunities Commission were the major laws passed implementing better work conditions in the UK, regardless of race, gender, or nationality. The Employment Protection Act of 1975 was also passed and this gave women the right to claim maternity leave (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). In the current context, the gender gap which used to dominate the economic and labour force has been decreased. Forty six percent of the Britain labour force is now made up of women. However, behind such figures, there are still major differences in the work conditions and the wages of women and men in the UK (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). According to the Women and Work Commission, gender pay differences in Europe are at its worse in the UK. All in all, women who are working full time are earning 17% less for each hour than the men; moreover, women working part-time are earning 39% less for each hour than men working full time (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). Working mothers also seem to be one of the most disadvantaged groups in the UK labour force. Those who have young children manifest with the biggest pay gap as they are earning an average of about 67% of the hourly male wage (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). Even with the government’s extra focus on implementing better work-home life balance for parents of young children, on an annual rate, about 30,000 pregnant women are being unlawfully fired from their work. Such gender differences in the workplace are not justifiably credited to women’s choices. Research reveals that discrimination is a significant contributor of these gender gaps (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). The implementation of policies which seek to close these gaps have wholly been...
This essay outlines the situation with economic status of women in the United Kingdom, more particularly in terms of their economic and employment opportunities. The situation in the UK in relation to employment seems to portray that women have gained better opportunities in terms of employment and labour; however, the gains which they have secured do not come close as yet to the privileges enjoyed by men. In effect, their opportunities are still tied in with the traditions of society and the notions about the female worker.
In the 1970s, various laws were passed in the UK and were meant to create equality for women. The Equal Pay Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, and the Equal Opportunities Commission were the major laws passed implementing better work conditions in the UK, regardless of race, gender, or nationality. The Employment Protection Act of 1975 was also passed and this gave women the right to claim maternity leave (Bellamy and Cameron, 2006). In the current context, the gender gap which used to dominate the economic and labour force has been decreased. Forty six percent of the Britain labour force is now made up of women. However, behind such figures, there are still major differences in the work conditions and the wages of women and men in the UK
The current improvements in gender issues seem to present better opportunities for women; however, investing opportunities for women can still be problematic because some of them are tied down and limited by their domestic responsibilities.
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