30,000 sacked every year for having babies

30,000 sacked every year for having babies

Of all social groups, mothers-to-be and new mothers experience the most discrimination in the labour market, the equality pressure group the Fawcett Society will say on Tuesday at the launch of its report, Sexism and the City

The report, which is backed by Tessa Jowell, minister of state for the Olympics and London, also reveals that 18 per cent of sex discrimination compensation awards are for sexual harassment, that two-thirds of low-paid workers are women and that women working full-time are paid on average 17 per cent less than men.

'For the first time, the Fawcett Society is joining the dots between women's experiences in the workplace and a wider culture in which women are subject to sexist stereotypes and are increasingly sexually objectified,' said Dr Katherine Rake, its director.

'Behind the conspicuous wealth of the City lies a hidden story of disadvantage and discrimination affecting women at every level of business. For the first time, Fawcett is exposing the links between these experiences. That link is sexism.'

The society report states: 'At every level of the workplace, there operates a web of policies and practices that prevent women from participating on an equal footing.'

Only 11 per cent of FTSE 100 company directors are women, women make.....continued below

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The campaign will focus on the experiences of women in the City. 'Women experience worrying levels of direct sexual harassment, and visiting a lapdance club has become an increasingly normal way for companies to entertain clients,' said Rake.

But it is not just women who are disadvantaged by the culture of discrimination. Both women and men were restricted by outdated workplace structures and cultures, Rake said, with the lack of senior flexible jobs forcing mothers - who still do the bulk of caring at home - into lower-paid, part-time work below their skill level.

'UK full-time employees work the longest hours in the EU, meaning women, as the primary carers, can't compete in a workplace where performance is judged according to hours put in, not quality of work produced,' said Rake.

She added that when women realised their potential the benefits would be felt across society. 'Rigid workplace structures mean that men spend less time with their families and are subject to the stereotype that caring for children is not a "man's role",' she said. 'A lack of flexible working currently means that 6.6 million people are not fully using their skills and experience. For Britain to be competitive in global markets, we need to be making full use of all our country's talents, and this is simply not happening at present.

She said a change in practices in the City, which is at the heart of UK economy, would help to set the standard for workplaces nationwide.

'Meetings were in strip clubs'