The EOC and the TUC are jointly calling for renewed urgency to deal with the persistent inequality facing Asian women in the workplace. Early findings from the EOC's "Moving on Up?" investigation into ethnic minority women's employment demonstrate significant differences in the pay, progression and employment status for women. Women surveyed by the EOC were three times more likely than white women to be asked at job interviews about their plans for marriage and children and one in five Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, over 90% of whom are Muslim, said they had often experienced negative attitudes towards religious dress at work.

The findings from its ongoing investigation into ethnic minority women at work, show that:

• Pakistani women face a pay gap at least 10 percentage points higher than that of white women , whilst the pay gap for Bangladeshi women is at least 5 percentage points higher. A quarter of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women work in wholesale and retail, where the median pay for sales assistants, for example, is £5.15 per hour, £4.61 less per hour than average earnings for women working full time.*
• Working Black Caribbean women are 8 percentage points more likely to have a degree than white women. Yet only 9% of Black Caribbean women are managers/senior managers, compared to 11% of white women. Job segregation is more of an issue too: almost a third of all Black Caribbean women work in health and social work, compared to less than a fifth of white women**.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said: "The Women and Work Commission has reminded us again of the continuing pay gap that women face. But it is particularly disturbing that this gap is larger for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women than for white women and that they, and Black Caribbean women, also face higher levels of job segregation and fewer opportunities to progress to more senior positions."

"We welcome the government's commitment to close both the gender pay gap and the ethnic minority employment gap. Taking account of the specific circumstances faced by ethnic minority women in the workplace can help to achieve these goals and can also ensure that employers are better able to draw on the skills and talents of all women."

WORKPLACE ATTITUDES AGAINST THE HIJAB

The EOC's investigation has shown that, for example, ethnic minority women surveyed by the EOC were three times more likely than white women to be asked at job interviews about their plans for marriage and children -- a violation of the Sex Discrimination Act. And one in five Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, over 90% of whom are Muslim, said they had often experienced negative attitudes towards religious dress at work.

Jenny Watson, continued "We would like, for example, to see a more joined up approach to race and gender equality in matters such as:

• Procurement as a lever to encourage employers in the private sector to take action to improve ethnic minority women's pay and progression
• Monitoring
• Use of the Race Relations Amendment Act and the forthcoming gender equality duty to address specific inequalities facing ethnic minority women in the public sector

Specific policy measures to improve ethnic minority women's employment might include:

• Addressing cultural stereotypes about women from different ethnic or faith backgrounds
• Monitoring of the Government's Childcare Strategy to ensure black women have access to affordable and culturally appropriate childcare
• Improving opportunities for flexible working and taking action to reduce the long hours culture, which are particular issues for black women who are more likely to be lone parents, and for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who have larger family sizes

The EOC's "Moving on Up?" investigation, supported by the European Social Fund, is collecting further evidence on these issues and will publish a full set of recommendations early in 2007

* Figures are derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2001-2005, and are based on hourly pay of full-time workers aged 16-59 (weighted) adjusted to 2005 prices. From forthcoming report: Platt, L. (2006) The Ethnic Pay Gap for Men and Women, Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission.

** Figures derived from 2001 Census Standard and Commissioned Tables, Crown Copyright 2003. Managers/Senior Managers - Pakistani women 9%, Bangladeshi women 6%.