The Women's Engineering Society (http://www.wes.org.uk/) have launched a cross-sector survey for women working in science, engineering, technological and construction industries about their experiences of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This from the IFA website:
“Anecdotal reports abound of women carrying multiple pairs of socks on site visits to make too-big boots fit and of having to fight flapping jacket sleeves to use a camera” said Jan Peters, president of the Women’s Engineering Society . “We want to find out just how widespread the problems are so that we can team up with manufacturers to produce well-fitting clothing”.
Women in Property (WIP) national chairman, Joanna Embling, comments “Although the TUC have debated whether women should have to wear high heels as part of work dress codes on health and safety grounds, they have not considered the safety issues involved when women are required to use work clothing provided by employers that is simply too big. There is far too much potential for accidents on construction sites through women tripping over their newly acquired size 10 feet. Women are highly qualified professionals who, not unreasonably, want to work under the same conditions as their male counterparts. Where safety clothing is concerned, they are at a distinct disadvantage.”
“This is a serious issue” says Niki Luscombe, CEO of Women and Manual Trades, “Safety clothing should be just that – clothing that helps workers to stay safe on construction sites. Instead, for many women it is something that can make them work less efficiently, and in some cases, actually compromise their safety”.
Women and Manual Trades (WAMT), the Association of Women in Property (WIP) and now the BWA are inviting women to fill in a short survey and contribute their stories.
If a number of archaeologists complete the survey, perhaps our needs will be heard and it could help to make a difference. The survey provides opportunity to list archaeology as your profession (under other - specified), and also to note your British Women Archaeologists membership/affiliation.
Fill in the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=D1gwLY_2bFZqi8SaaKSbJwDQ_3d_3d
Friday, 20 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Male doctors earn £15,000 a year more than women, study reveals (Guardian 10/11/09)
The BMA's report is the first to investigate differences in doctors' salaries.
Female doctors working in the NHS are paid thousands of pounds a year less than their male colleagues as a result of widespread discrimination and a "hostile culture" at work, a study reveals.
There is an average salary gap of £15,245 between men and women among the UK's 135,000 medics, according to a report by the British Medical Association. After excluding differences owing to age, experience and area of specialism, the study found that female consultants typically earn £5,500 less than their male peers and female junior doctors' pay is around £2,000 below that of their male counterparts. The research, to be published on Friday, is the first to investigate differences in doctors' salaries.
"Our results show that men and women with identical experience and expertise are paid differently – which suggests evidence of discrimination," concludes the report, which has been funded by the BMA, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Imperial College London and the Medical Women's Federation.
The study examined the pay of 1,015 doctors working for the NHS, in medical research at academic institutions, and for organisations such as private healthcare providers. While part of the pay gap is due to age and experience, between 40% and 50% of the difference is caused by discrimination, the study found.
One of the report's authors, Dr Anita Holdcroft, emeritus professor of anaesthesia at Imperial, accused male NHS managers of taking advantage of the poor negotiating power of women. Referring to what the report describes as a "hostile culture", she gave the example of women with children who have limited room to manoeuvre because managers know they are unlikely to uproot their family and move elsewhere. By contrast, men can win pay rises by threatening to leave.
"The man will often recognise the weakness of the woman's negotiating position because she has children and so can't move," she said. "Discrimination is the only way that we can explain the gender pay gap."
Among Britain's 40,521 consultants, men on average earn £13,729 more than similarly successful female colleagues. That pay gap worsens the longer a female consultant has worked. Although more female than male consultants earn between £62,500 and £95,000, more men than women have salaries between £110,000 and £190,000.
While women are less likely to hold high-level positions or be as involved in professional organisations, this explains only about 59% of the gap. "The remainder is due to differences in treatment for the same characteristics," the report says.
Dr Helen Goodyear, a consultant paediatrician at Heartlands hospital in Birmingham and president of the Medical Women's Federation, said: "It's endemic in the NHS – women not being paid the same as similarly experienced, similarly talented male counterparts."
The authors say their findings, coupled with the gender equality duty introduced in 2007, should prompt bodies that employ doctors to undertake salary reviews or more wide-ranging pay audits.
NHS Employers, which employs the NHS's 1.4m staff in England, said gender pay gaps were an important issue, but declined to comment on the report. The Department of Health said male and female doctors should be paid equally.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
Female doctors working in the NHS are paid thousands of pounds a year less than their male colleagues as a result of widespread discrimination and a "hostile culture" at work, a study reveals.
There is an average salary gap of £15,245 between men and women among the UK's 135,000 medics, according to a report by the British Medical Association. After excluding differences owing to age, experience and area of specialism, the study found that female consultants typically earn £5,500 less than their male peers and female junior doctors' pay is around £2,000 below that of their male counterparts. The research, to be published on Friday, is the first to investigate differences in doctors' salaries.
"Our results show that men and women with identical experience and expertise are paid differently – which suggests evidence of discrimination," concludes the report, which has been funded by the BMA, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Imperial College London and the Medical Women's Federation.
The study examined the pay of 1,015 doctors working for the NHS, in medical research at academic institutions, and for organisations such as private healthcare providers. While part of the pay gap is due to age and experience, between 40% and 50% of the difference is caused by discrimination, the study found.
One of the report's authors, Dr Anita Holdcroft, emeritus professor of anaesthesia at Imperial, accused male NHS managers of taking advantage of the poor negotiating power of women. Referring to what the report describes as a "hostile culture", she gave the example of women with children who have limited room to manoeuvre because managers know they are unlikely to uproot their family and move elsewhere. By contrast, men can win pay rises by threatening to leave.
"The man will often recognise the weakness of the woman's negotiating position because she has children and so can't move," she said. "Discrimination is the only way that we can explain the gender pay gap."
Among Britain's 40,521 consultants, men on average earn £13,729 more than similarly successful female colleagues. That pay gap worsens the longer a female consultant has worked. Although more female than male consultants earn between £62,500 and £95,000, more men than women have salaries between £110,000 and £190,000.
While women are less likely to hold high-level positions or be as involved in professional organisations, this explains only about 59% of the gap. "The remainder is due to differences in treatment for the same characteristics," the report says.
Dr Helen Goodyear, a consultant paediatrician at Heartlands hospital in Birmingham and president of the Medical Women's Federation, said: "It's endemic in the NHS – women not being paid the same as similarly experienced, similarly talented male counterparts."
The authors say their findings, coupled with the gender equality duty introduced in 2007, should prompt bodies that employ doctors to undertake salary reviews or more wide-ranging pay audits.
NHS Employers, which employs the NHS's 1.4m staff in England, said gender pay gaps were an important issue, but declined to comment on the report. The Department of Health said male and female doctors should be paid equally.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Who needs childcare?
Labour plans to scrap the childcare voucher scheme from 2011 replacing it with 10 free days of childcare for 2 year-olds (great if your child is 2, and you only work 10 days of the year..)
With typical childcare costs at £38/day (£760 pcm), this scheme really enabled working mums the opportunity to go back to work:
I am horrified at this prospect. It took me all the will power in the world to return to work, when so many others around me haven't. The childcare vouchers have made a serious impact on my decision.
I work full time, as well as my husband. If we loose this benefit - then we would have to consider again.
This is terrible news and is another way to push us in to giving up work all together!
Sally Doe
More comments re. impact on working families: http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/save-childcare-vouchers/Pages/parents.aspx
Sign the 69k-strong petition here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/keepvouchers/
Campaign materials for your uni/workplace: http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/save-childcare-vouchers/Pages/order-campaign-posters.aspx
With typical childcare costs at £38/day (£760 pcm), this scheme really enabled working mums the opportunity to go back to work:
I am horrified at this prospect. It took me all the will power in the world to return to work, when so many others around me haven't. The childcare vouchers have made a serious impact on my decision.
I work full time, as well as my husband. If we loose this benefit - then we would have to consider again.
This is terrible news and is another way to push us in to giving up work all together!
Sally Doe
More comments re. impact on working families: http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/save-childcare-vouchers/Pages/parents.aspx
Sign the 69k-strong petition here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/keepvouchers/
Campaign materials for your uni/workplace: http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/save-childcare-vouchers/Pages/order-campaign-posters.aspx
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