On Mother’s Day (Sunday) the TUC is celebrating the contribution mums make to the economy and society.
There are currently 12.4 million women employees in the UK. But although they now make up half (49.7%) of the workforce, women still encounter far too many problems at work.
Women are still far more likely than men to undertake the vast majority of unpaid work, including childcare. They are also far less likely to be able to access better-paid jobs and ongoing opportunities for career progression:
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Today we celebrate the huge contribution mums make to our society, both at home and at work.
“But the sad truth is that millions of mums are trapped in low-paid part-time or insecure jobs, barely breaking even once they’ve paid for childcare.
“Without better-paid part-time and flexible jobs, and higher wages in key sectors like care, mums will continue having to choose between career and family. We need more dads to share the childcare, and more employers running family friendly workplaces. And it’s time to get tough with bosses who are still cheating women workers out of the equal pay they’re due.”
- For full details of the statistics included in this press release please visit the following links:
1. The gender pay gap
2. Pregnancy discrimination
3. The motherhood pay penalty
4. The cost of childcare
5. Pension pot
- There are 27.2 million employees in the UK labour market: 12.4 million women employees and 13.8 million men employees. Source: ONS table EMP09. Data for Oct-Dec 2017 (published 21 Feb 2018).
- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 49 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Want to hear about our latest news and blogs?
Sign up now to get it straight to your inbox
To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).