Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Economic Recovery: Employment for Women

Wednesday 13 January 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government have taken significant steps to support employment opportunities for women through schemes like the coronavirus job retention scheme and the self-employed income support scheme.
  • The Government rolled out 4.6 billion of extra support to protect jobs in sectors predominantly employing women.
  • Furlough is available for women with childcare responsibilities, though it is up to employers whether to offer this option.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Laura Farris
Economy Employment
Context

The question arises due to concerns about the impact of the pandemic on women's employment, particularly in sectors like hospitality, retail, and leisure which have been heavily affected by lockdown measures.

Question

What steps has the Government taken to ensure adequate employment opportunities for women during the economic recovery from the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from Paul Scully

The Government have taken significant steps to support employment opportunities for women, including protecting jobs through the coronavirus job retention scheme which supported 4.5 million jobs done by women and the self-employed income support scheme which issued grants to 1.4 million women.

Answered
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Q2 Laura Farris
Employment
Context

The question arises due to concerns that recent government initiatives, such as those focused on house building and road building, may not adequately address the needs of women who are disproportionately employed in sectors like hospitality, retail, and leisure.

Question

Female employment is highest in the services sector which has been hit particularly hard by redundancies in hospitality, retail and leisure. The new deal announced by the Prime Minister in June focused on house building, road building and infrastructure—all vital sectors, but heavily geared towards male employment. Can my hon. Friend confirm whether there are equivalent plans to stimulate female employment in the months ahead, and will he meet me to discuss this?

Answer from Paul Scully

We are committed to having a fair recovery for all. During the crisis we have rolled out unprecedented levels of support to protect jobs for both women and men, including an extra £4.6 billion to support sectors that predominantly employ women. Yes, I would be happy to meet her to discuss what more can be done to stimulate employment, including female employment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Equivalent plans to stimulate female employment were not specified in detail.

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Q3 Charlotte Nichols Lab Warrington North
Employment Women & Equalities Children & Families
Context

Research by the Trades Union Congress indicates that mothers have taken on more childcare responsibilities since the pandemic began, leading to pressures in balancing work and childcare, especially for single-parent households.

Question

Research shows that about 90% of mothers have increased their childcare responsibilities during the pandemic, with 43% having to balance this with working from home. This is a particular pressure for single-parent households, mostly headed by women. With women at greater risk of redundancy and disproportionately employed in sectors hardest hit by shutdowns, will the Minister commit to creating a legal, enforceable and immediate right for parents to request paid, flexible furlough?

Answer from Paul Scully

Certainly furlough is available for women who have childcare responsibilities. It is up to employers whether they give this option, but if women feel disadvantaged, they can approach ACAS.

Not addressed: Commitment to creating a legal right for parents to request paid, flexible furlough was not provided.

How: Redirecting The Responsibility To Employers And Acas

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