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Tag Archives: cuts
Committee Inquiry into black female unemployment
18 Julby Jyoti Bhojani
I’ve written in the past about the disproportionate effect of the recession on Black and Minority Ethnic communities and how evidence from previous recessions suggests that the BME community as a whole has the most to fear from economic downturns. Equally, much as been said about rising levels of unemployment and how BME workers are typically the first to lose their jobs should the situation arise.
Now, a committee of MPs and Lords are turning their attention to black female unemployment. The Right Honourable David Lammy MP, will lead a cross party inquiry to attempt to determine why there are huge inequalities between the BME women compared to their white counterparts. Current figures show that 20.5% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, 17.7% of Black women are unemployed, while only 6.8% of their white counterparts are unemployed. The Inquiry will attempt to determine why this is and how we can go about attempting to reduce these inequalities. Addressing these inequalities are all the more important, given that the census figures show that there has been a rise in the BME population.
In order for the Inquiry to fully attempt to address BME female unemployment, their focus will be on Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women. The Inquiry wants to hear from young women from these groups who are currently unemployed and who would be willing to take part in a short video to talk about their experiences of finding a job. If you think that this might be something you would like to get in touch with Vicki Butler at the Runnymede Trust. Further details can be found here: http://www.runnymedetrust.org/projects-and-publications/parliament/appg-2/appg-inquiry.html
Jyoti Bhojani is the National Young Labour BAME Officer
Women fighting back against education cuts
20 Sepa special guest post by Kathy Taylor
History shows us that in times of austerity women have always been hit the hardest and this is certainly true in the current crisis.
Sixty-five per cent of public sector workers are women and the TUC predicts that of the 500,000 people who will lose their jobs as a result of the government’s public sector cuts, 350,000 (70%) will be women.
As a woman trade unionist and public sector worker, I am appalled by this continuum of inequality and injustice. Whilst the Government’s cuts are having devastating effects on all workers, women are being disproportionately affected in every sector, including my own sector of post-16 education.
In the past two years, three-fifths of further education colleges have cut courses and two-thirds have reported a reduction in student enrolments, citing the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance as one of the main causes. In addition to removing the crucial financial support of the EMA, the government’s programme of cuts included the axing of the Care to Learn entitlement – an allowance specifically designed to support teenage parents, in the main young women, back into education by funding childcare.
The government recently published plans to remove all public funding from advanced level courses for people aged over 24 and force them to take out student loans instead. Even by the government’s own estimates we are likely to see over 100,000 fewer college places, almost two-thirds of them women, taken up. A massive campaign by the education unions and the National Union of Students resulted in some government concessions, but the fact remains that opportunities for adults returning to learning or training will be severely restricted.
In higher education, the government’s axing of state funding for arts and humanities courses will once again rebound most upon women. There are more women than men studying the at-risk courses, while the courses that are dominated by men, (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) have had their funding protected.
In April 2011, ministers significantly reduced funding to UKRC, the leading body in the UK offering advice and services to address the under-representation of women in science and technology.
And, shamefully, 40 years after the Equal Pay Act, women who do make it through their studies continue to earn less on average than men throughout their lives.
While there is no disguising the devastating impact of the cuts, women continue to play a full part in the fight against this onslaught of attacks. Just one example from my own neck of the woods: the North East Women’s Network is working with the TUC Regional Women’s Group to produce a report highlighting the specific impact on austerity in the region, building to a submission to the United Nations Commission to Eradicate Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
A recent Observer article highlighted the positive role a new wave of women trade unionists are making in the fightback against record levels of unemployment among women. It also included a contribution from Frances O’Grady, who, to our great delight, is to be the TUC’s first female general secretary, and who is committed to defending the rights and education of women and to ensuring that all women, regardless of background, are given an equal chance to prosper.
Kathy Taylor is President of the University and College Union
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Tags: austerity, Coalition, cuts, education, trade unions, UCU, university, women