The GREAT Inititiative - Gender Right & Equality Trust

Gender inequality is a problem in the UK too…

February 7, 2011  Mariella's Blog

The initial focus for The GREAT Initiative is Africa, where gender inequality and its consequences on the lives of African people - and on the sustainable development of the continent - are alarming.

However, we are wrong to think that there is nothing to worry about in our developed world, and even in our own country.

This week end, I came across some statistics in a newspaper about the percentage of women holding board level positions in listed companies across Europe. Norway came out top of the poll with just 32% women on the boards of businesses in that country.

Where is the UK?

…third from bottom with only 12%!

This prompted me to google for more data:

According to a report published by the EHRC in 2008: ‘at this current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take 73 years before equal numbers on FTSE 100 companies boards are achieved’. The Fawcett Society stated in 2010 that ‘the full-time pay gap between women and men in the UK is the equivalent to men being paid for a full year, whilst women effectively work for free after 2 November’.

Just another statistic reminding me that gender equality must remain on the agenda of all politicians in the world, not just those in developing countries.

Responses

1. On March 6, 2011 at 2:42 am, Nikki said:

   Disabled women have little prospect of proper participation in communities across the UK. How few people reacted to the proposed state sponsored forcible sterilization of a woman with learning difficulties in the past two weeks. We disabled women are silenced by able bodied sisters because we can be patronized and deemed as dependent and burdens predominantly of wome. We take the blame for the care burden forced upon so many UK women. That language of a life less worth living promoted by that group who feel the only option is a chosen death with the burden mantra, softens up society to the idea that the face of caring is the angel of death or the surgeon of control. We are victims of of all the same issues as other women alongside those accepted controls on our lives. Our voice is drowned out by those who should know and understand the true nature of equality, our fellow feminists. But we are not accepted into the feminist debate the feminist sororiety because we are viewed as a care challenge to women not equal participants. Let’s readjust the rules of participation and widen feminist community to those voices.

   Reply

2. On March 6, 2011 at 1:07 pm, Charlotte Morgan said:

   Some people argue that workplace pay gaps and gender imbalances in parliament are down to a lack of females applying to positions of high power.

   If that is (part) of the case, we must therefore ask ourselves, *why* aren’t women striving to reach the top? Michelin star chef Michael Caines MBE argues that in his profession (ironically male dominated, given that women still do most of the cooking at home), an “image problem” is to blame.

   The concept of a macho, testosterone-pumped professional kitchen is constantly thrust upon us (no thanks to certain TV programmes), which is tragically driving female applicants away: http://bit.ly/gpPtml and http://ind.pn/fjqEh9

   Reply

3. On March 12, 2011 at 7:52 am, frostwire download said:

   trying to find you on facebook, wats your profile

   Reply

   • On March 22, 2011 at 11:13 am, Nathalie Debono said:

     the GREAT Initiative

     Reply