Millions of women who work part time in order to look after their children are not being offered the chance to show their potential, according to a new report.
The report, by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), highlights the sacrifice being made by women who feel that their qualifications, skills and experience is not being picked up on by bosses.
‘Part-time is no crime- so why the penalty?’ argues that bosses must operate flexible working practices as well as understand the needs of mothers if the economy is to benefit from an relatively untapped skills pool.
The report reveals that 78 per cent of Britain’s part-time workers are women, many choosing the option as a means of creating a work/life balance.
However, the majority of such positions are based in administration and services, allowing women little room to manoeuvre in terms of salary and prospects - women earning 40 per cent less per hour than men working full time.
Julie Mellor, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said: “What we need is to enable parents of older children and carers to ask their employer to work flexibly, and encourage employers to offer better paid jobs on a more flexible basis.”
A response by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) stresses that the majority of employers are doing everything in their power to promote flexible working.
However, the lobby did maintain that any extension to employee rights in this area should be given much consideration in order to be fair on bosses.
John Cridland, deputy director general at the CBI, said: “The best way to extend opportunities for employees to work flexibly is through the right to request flexible working.
“But, the EOC’s recommendation to extend the right to request flexible working to parents with older children or those with other caring responsibilities should be treated with caution. Large increases in the volume of requests may reduce employers’ ability to accommodate them.”
