ASIAN WOMEN PAY A HIGH PENALTY IN THE UK WORKPLACE
(7 September 2006)

Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean girls are ambitious and forging ahead at school – but they're likely to pay a high penalty in the workplace claims the The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on the publication of a major new report into the labour market. The report paints a worrying picture of poor labour market prospects for young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women in modern Britain, despite increasing attainment at school and ambitious aspirations:

• Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean girls age 16 have the same aspirations as white girls to combine work and family life and are even more ambitious about their education and future careers.
• In GCSE 5A*-C performance, Pakistani and Bangladeshi girls have overtaken white boys, are quickly catching up to white girls - and Black Caribbean girls are not far behind. These girls have already overtaken boys in their ethnic groups.

Yet despite high ambitions and investment in education, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women employees under 35 are experiencing heavy penalties when they want to work, including higher unemployment, a lower glass ceiling than white women, and - for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women - lower pay. Most work in a restricted range of sectors and jobs.

• Over 90% of employers strongly agree with the business case for employing black and Asian women.
• Yet nearly 6 out of 10 employers in areas with above average numbers of black and Asian people don't have a workforce that reflects the number of black and Asian women in or seeking work, and over 3 in 10 don't employ any black or Asian women at all.

Many of the young women in these groups report that they have had to deal with racism, sexism and negative stereotypes.

This report marks the end of the first phase of a ground-breaking, two-year long investigation by the EOC into the employment prospects of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black-Caribbean women - 90% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are Muslim.

It highlights the scale of the opportunity – in terms of the next generation of young ethnic minority women's skills and ambitions and their positive attitude to overcome the barriers they face. And it also points out that ethnic minorities will account for half the growth in the working age population, with cities like Leicester and Birmingham set to become "minority majority cities".

However, the EOC's report warns of a lost opportunity, stressing that unless urgent action is taken by employers and Government, Britain’s businesses and local communities will lose out and current patterns will be repeated for future generations with:

• Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean communities continuing to face social exclusion.
• Young women finding their hopes of building a better life for themselves and their families dashed.
• Employers missing out on a real opportunity to tap into the increasingly high levels of ambition and qualifications of this generation of young women.
• Ethnic minority women concentrated in certain jobs and workplaces, and almost entirely absent from others.
• Efforts to build community cohesion put at risk because opportunities for people from different backgrounds to mix at work are limited.

On an encouraging note, the EOC found that some employers and some regions of the country are already doing better than others – so change is possible. For example, according to the 2001 Census, 12% of Pakistani women were unemployed in Leicester, compared to 22% in Birmingham.

Ahead of the publication of its final report early next year, the EOC is seeking views from employers, policy-makers and members of the public on what will help speed-up the pace of change.

The report makes it clear that a focus only on "cultural factors" - which suggest that the problem lies with the women themselves because they don't have the skills or have families who don't want them to work - misses the point for many of today's increasingly well educated and ambitious young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women, especially those born and educated in Britain. Action to break down barriers, open up new work opportunities and reduce discrimination will be critical. This should start young, for example, through better careers advice, work experience and outreach into communities to demonstrate the range of opportunities available.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said: "The good news is that the next generation of confident, ambitious young black and Asian women have a lot to contribute to their families, to local communities and to our economy. The bad news is that not enough employers are tapping into this pool of talent – despite demographic predictions that suggest Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Pakistani women will make up, in some areas, a significant proportion of the workforce of the future. And many of these young women are telling us they have to deal with racism, sexism and negative stereotypes."

"It's not only employers who miss out – we all do when young women's ambitions are dashed and we fail to build cohesive communities. More must be done before another generation of promising young women fall prey to the same negative cycle of poor pay, poor prospects, and occupational segregation. "

Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: "This report dispels many myths and stereotypes about Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black Caribbean young women - just like anyone else they want to get on in life – gain skills and have challenging and fulfilling jobs. And as more and more are doing well at school and going to university, the report is right to highlight a real opportunity.

Just as the Women and Work Commission Report highlighted the social and economic costs of the gender pay gap, this report makes clear how as a country – as employers or in local communities - we should welcome this growing talent pool. As we take forward the Women and Work Commission recommendations and consider what more we need to do, this report is an invaluable contribution."

The EOC is calling on all those with an interest in improving employment opportunities for Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women to share their experiences and views about priorities for change. For more information go to www.eoc.org.uk/bme or call 0845 601 5901.