{"id":8016,"date":"2016-03-08T16:50:02","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T16:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8016"},"modified":"2016-03-09T16:34:47","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T16:34:47","slug":"the-young-mother-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8016","title":{"rendered":"The young mother penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Women who have children at a younger age suffer a significant pay penalty throughout their careers compared to older mothers, a new TUC analysis<\/a> published today (March 8) has revealed.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe TUC teamed up with the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) on International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day today to analyse the earnings of a group of 17,000 full-time workers.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe analysis found that women who have children before the age of 33 earn 15 per cent less over the course of their careers compared to women who had not had children before 33.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe study also found that mothers who work full-time and have their first child after the age of 33 earn 12 per cent more than women who had not had children. This, the study notes, was likely because older mothers tend to be higher earners in more senior roles and more able to afford childcare.<\/p>\n

 
\nYounger mothers are also much more likely to suffer pregnancy and maternity discrimination at work \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a shocking 1 in 4 mothers under the age of 25 were treated so badly that they were forced out of their jobs because of pregnancy or maternity leave.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis research shows that millions of mothers still suffer the motherhood pay penalty,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said TUC general secretary Frances O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Grady.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to do far more to support all working mums, starting by increasing the number of quality part-time jobs and making childcare much more affordable,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWomen in full-time, well-paid jobs shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be the only ones able to both become parents and see their careers progress. All women worried about their pay and conditions should join a union to get their voices heard and their interests represented.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equal pay audits<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite national officer for equalities Siobhan Endean agreed, adding that a number of goals must be achieved before the gender pay gap is closed and young mothers in particular have a chance at equal pay.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe welcome the TUC analysis which shines a spotlight on the struggles that young mothers face,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is further evidence as to why we need equal pay legislation brought up to date.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government recently enacted legislation that will require large businesses to publish information about the gender pay gap among their workforce,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhile this is a step forward, it goes nowhere near enough in tackling unequal pay.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nAs UNITElive has previously reported<\/a>, private employers with more than 250 employees will be required to publish information about their company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s average and median gender pay gap beginning in April 2018. They will also have to report on bonus pay and the number of men and women in each pay range.<\/p>\n

 
\nEndean said that mandatory equal pay audits \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which are much more detailed than the pay gap information large employers must start publishing in two years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 time \u00e2\u20ac\u201c are absolutely essential in achieving true pay parity between men and women.<\/p>\n

 
\nPay audits go well beyond a mere data collection exercise. They require employers to closely investigate any pay disparities between men and women \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and then they must take action to right these disparities.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMandatory pay audits should also be accompanied by strict enforcement,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Endean noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe worry that the new legislation will be made meaningless by lack of an enforcement regime. For example, if the penalty for failing to publish pay gap information is, say, only a \u00c2\u01415,000 fee, businesses may just pay the fee instead of having to comply.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nAt the moment, the government has said it will not pursue any criminal or civil penalties if companies do not comply, but this policy will be reviewed in five years if there is a low rate of compliance.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe final consultation on draft regulations <\/a>for the new gender pay gap reporting policy will close on Friday (March 11).<\/p>\n

 
\nEndean argued that pay transparency must also apply to temporary and agency work \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which is predominantly taken on by women \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for the policy to be effective.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf we leave out consideration for these workers and look only at women working full-time, we miss out on a very large swathe of women who are being paid and treated unfairly,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Free to discriminate<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The TUC analysis published today was released alongside a new Fawcett Society survey<\/a> which demonstrates the gap in perception between mothers and fathers at work.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe poll found that when a woman has a baby, 46 per cent of the 8,000 people surveyed believe that the woman will become less committed to her job, compared to only 11 per cent believing a new father will be less committed.<\/p>\n

 
\nEndean noted that pregnancy and maternity discrimination has been further exacerbated after the introduction of employment tribunal fees. The number of employment tribunal cases dropped sharply after the fees were introduced three years ago.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMothers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially young mothers who are much more likely to be discriminated against \u00e2\u20ac\u201c simply do not have the money to take their discrimination case to a tribunal,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bEmployers then feel free to discriminate against these women because they know there likely will be no repercussions.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThe Fawcett Society poll also found that fathers took very little time off from work at the birth of their child \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 75 per cent of fathers said they took two weeks off or less, with a third of fathers saying they took between one and five days.<\/p>\n

 
\nEndean noted that new shared parental leave policies will likely have some impact, but much more is needed to ensure fathers and mothers both have the opportunity to care for children and advance their careers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Long, hard look’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Senior Tory MP Maria Miller strongly criticised<\/a> the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own policies today (March 8), noting that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bat most 8 per cent\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 of fathers will take shared parental leave after the birth of a child under the new legislation.<\/p>\n

 
\nMiller said that the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goal of closing the gender pay gap within a generation would remain out of reach if it did not act.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government thinks the issue has been resolved, and it has for women working full-time under the age of 35 but not for thousands of others,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Miller said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe gender pay gap is particularly acute for women over 40 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and that is because of the lack of quality part-time working and lack of effective shared parental-leave policies,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe evidence is clear. The government needs to take a long, hard look at their policies.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nMore than anything, Endean said that it was clear collective bargaining structures on both pay and terms and conditions that would most help close the gender pay gap.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOn International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day, nearly 50 years after we first introduced equal pay legislation in the UK, the fact that the gender pay gap still exists is a disgrace,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhile we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made many strides, too many women, especially young mothers, are stuck at the very bottom rung of their business in low pay with no way out.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bStrong legislation alongside collective bargaining structures in every workplace will be most effective in making a difference.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women who have children at a younger age suffer a significant pay penalty throughout their careers compared to older mothers, a new TUC analysis published today (March 8) has revealed.   The TUC teamed up with the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) on International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day today to analyse the earnings of a group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[259,209],"wps_subtitle":"Tough laws needed to tackle pay inequalities","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8016"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8029,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016\/revisions\/8029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}