Work With Me Annie
Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back in time. Obscenely large bonuses for bankers, nasty Nick Griffin, over-exposed celebs like Cheryl Cole and boring reality TV - "I'm a C List Celebrity, Please Breathe Some Life Into My Flagging Career" (sic) all a twinkle in somebody's eye.
Close your eyes and picture this: It is a beautiful day in 1950s Britain. The children are at school learning how to be good, upstanding pillars of community life; the father is out earning a living for his family and the mother is baking bread, taking care of the children and keeping a good home for her husband and offspring.
It was only 50 years ago when the majority of women were expected to stay at home and take care of the house. In fact, it was seen as insulting to the male head of the household if a woman went to work as it would suggest that the husband was not earning enough to be able to financially support his wife and kids.
Nowadays, it is common for both partners or parents to work in order to finance a family lifestyle that is becoming increasingly more expensive as budget controls and an increase on VAT are phased in (even when living frugally). A recent survey of 2, 000 women found that over 30% of them earn more than their respective partners, whilst 19% earn the same amount and contribute equally to the household (Personnel Today quoting Grazia, 2010).
Even though we are said to live in a very liberal society (and compared to many other nations, we most certainly do), sex discrimination still occurs on a frequent basis in the workplace. What is important to note is that, in a lot of these cases, discrimination occurs between a woman who has children and a woman who does not. The same survey found that one in seven women agreed with the statement that women were "their harshest critics".
Former TV presenter, Selina Scott, has recently claimed that ageism and sexism in the BBC are rife. Interestingly she argues that the lack of older female BBC presenters is partly the fault of senior women in the corporation. In 2008, Ms Scott reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum with television company, Five.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 protects men and women from unlawful discrimination on the grounds of sex. Discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity leave is also unlawful. Sex discrimination can not only occur between the employer and the employees, but includes discrimination amongst the employees themselves, which can occur throughout the employment lifetime, from advertising of roles and recruitment, to promotion and selection for redundancy.
In addition, the Equal Pay Act 1970 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate with regards to salary / remuneration between male and female employees, where both employees are in the same or similar roles and where the work is regarded as being of equal value in the organisation (Directgov, 2010).
It's a sad state of affairs that 35 years after the UK introduced legislation to tackle unfair discrimination, it's still rife. In April, the Birmingham employment tribunal found that more than 4, 000 female council workers had been less favourably treated than male employees on the same grade. They have won the right to be paid the same as their male colleagues in a case which could lead to payouts worth about £200m.
If you find yourself in such a situation whereby you feel there has been discriminatory acts within your organisation, Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in the practical application of employment law as well as providing employment law training and HR support services. For more information, visit our website at http://www.russellhrconsulting.co.uk/.
Russell HR Consulting offers HR services to businesses nationwide, including Buckinghamshire (covering Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Banbury, Northampton, Towcester and surrounding areas), Nottinghamshire (covering Chesterfield, Mansfield, Nottingham, Sheffield, Worksop and surrounding areas).
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
