Nicola Toyer: So now we're going to move on to our final discussion. You're all by the way, welcome to stick around if you'd like to hear it. The next topic is on breaking barriers, fostering equality and inclusion. And I'm very pleased to invite Jemima Olchawski to the stage. Did I get that right? Yes. Brilliant.
Jemima is the CEO of the Fawcett Society. She's a social policy expert with 15 years of experience, working on issues around social justice and women's rights. Her career has spanned national charities, local government, and a think tank, working to tackle inequalities and improve life chances. So Jemima, welcome.
Jemima Olchawski: Thank you. Hello everyone. Really lovely to be here and to see you all. And yeah, you finance peeps have got great staying power. It's brilliant to see so many people still in the room. So thank you. I'm Jemima. I am the chief executive of the Fawcett society. We're the UK's leading member powered organisation fighting for women's equality.
We trace our roots back to Millicent Fawcett, the suffragist who took the first petition to parliament for women's votes when she was just 19. Today, we campaign for women's equality at home, at work, and in public life. As a society, we've come a long way since Millicent Fawcett gathered the names for a petition that she was actually too young to sign herself.
From the right to vote and stand for parliament, to the right to equal pay, from the recognition in the law of domestic abuse, to the upswell of the viral MeToo hashtag, which gave voice to the harms experienced by generations of women. Today, young women proudly call themselves feminist. We have had three Prime Ministers that are women, just, and firms proudly tout their progress on women on boards.
And this is all truly to be celebrated. But the work isn't done. And in some ways, the hardest work is only just beginning. Because while in most areas of the law we have formal equality, we're left with the systems, the norms, and the attitudes that preserve and create inequality. But they are often so embedded that it can be hard to see them anymore, or to recognise their power and persistence.
So that today, only a third of the most powerful positions in Britain are held by women. Women make up only 35 percent of parliamentarians and earn on average 13 percent less than men, with a pay gap even larger for black and minoritised women. We've seen in the last week or so in the news focus on Frank Hester's appalling comments about Diane Abbott and that shone a spotlight on how racism and misogyny still impact the lives of too many women and a culture that permits deeply offensive and harmful attitudes to persist.
It's easy to look at politics and feel disappointed but sadly our sector often fares no better. Despite women making up 67 percent of the charity sector workforce, men dominate the most powerful roles. Just 34 of the CEOs of the UK's 100 biggest charities are women and only three of those 100 CEO roles overall are held by people who identified themselves as from a black or ethnic minority group. Now as charities, as we've been talking about, we're committed to improving the world around us. We share a social mission and a belief that it is possible to make the world better, whether that's through supporting young people into employment or groundbreaking health research.
And I'm incredibly grateful and proud to be part of this sector and goodness knows we've seen how vital the work is of the organisations in this room over the last few years. So today I want to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the most important changes that we can make in our sector and beyond to take us closer to a feminist future, where women that you exist to support and that you employ are truly able to thrive.
Our research shows that women are outnumbered 2 to 1 in positions of power in the UK and only 13 percent of charity boards have equal representation. Men outnumber women on those boards 2 to 1. So put simply, I think this gives the lie to the idea that we live in a meritocracy, or a society of equal opportunity, unless we actually believe that men, and in particular white men, are so much more talented than women and people of colour, that they absolutely deserve to be over represented in all these powerful roles.
I think, if we reject that, it's a pretty clear indicator that something unfair is going on that prevents many people from fully participating. Of course, this is first and foremost a question of justice. It also has wider impacts. The evidence shows that having women in decision making roles changes the issues that get discussed and the decisions that get made.
Evidence from the private sector shows that boards with gender balance run more profitable organisations and have better decision making. Workplaces that prioritise gender equality by proactively creating cultures that are respectful and inclusive are able to harness diversity of experiences which we know lead to better outcomes.
And of course these are also going to be places that positively support safety and staff wellbeing. For our sector, this feels even more urgent. How can we truly speak to or serve our beneficiaries, our donors, our supporters, if we're systematically excluding whole swathes of them from key roles in our organisations?
The other headline figure that shows us something is up in our sector and beyond is the gender pay gap. This is their difference in average hourly earnings between men and women in the UK, and it's calculated by the ONS. The overall figure in the UK is 13%. It is even larger for many women of colour. But in the non-profit sector, it's actually higher at 15. 6%. So that means for every pound a man is earning in the non-profit sector, a woman's earning just 84 pence. We know the issues that underpin this, and they apply just as much to the charity sector as to the wider employment market.
That gap is a measure of women's overall exclusion and disadvantage in our economy. It's driven by a really significant motherhood penalty. Women being more likely to work in low paid and part time roles with fewer opportunities for progression. Men's over representation at the top. And a divided labour market where the work women do and tend to do is consistently paid and valued less.
So today I want to highlight three changes that we can all make which can help us deliver on that vision of more equal workplaces and better outcomes for our beneficiaries.
The first is make flexible work the default. Women still do the majority of unpaid labour in the home, an exhausting 1. 8 hours a day more than men. And so women are much more likely to work part time to fit in those extra responsibilities. But a lack of quality, flexible work means women can't progress, or they get trapped in jobs where they do have the flexibility that they need and can't risk moving to another where they might not have that same flexibility.
But this isn't inevitable. We saw in the pandemic that there is so much more scope for flexibility than anyone had imagined. And it isn't just about working from home. Even at the height of the pandemic, only 50 percent of people were ever working from home, but it is about compressed hours or working a part time role over five days in school hours or term time working or job shares.
Many jobs can be done just as well in alternative ways. But as employers, we often don't think about that in advance and when advertising roles. Only one in five jobs is advertised as flexible. That drops to just three percent for the best paid roles. Now we've seen evidence that actually our sector does perform better here than the private sector, but there still is a long way to go and the majority of jobs still aren't advertised with that flexibility from the outset.
If we make flexibility the default, women are able to progress. They can see the options in advance and make a move to a job that actually meets their skill level and earning potential. And employers can recruit from a broader talent pool, instead of enforcing a set of criteria that actually aren't relevant to someone's ability to do that job.
This makes a huge difference to women, but also to older workers who might not be interested in a rigid nine to five anymore, to those with disabilities and health conditions. Or frankly to people who just want a little bit more balance in their lives. In the context of labour shortages and huge pressures on our organisations, this can unlock access to the very best people so that you can make sure your organisations are truly maximising impact.
The second is to make sure our workplaces are genuinely safe for women. And safe in the broadest sense, including safe from discrimination. We know workplace discrimination remains common. 54, 000 women have to leave their job early every year as a result of getting pregnant or having a baby.
Academics estimate that around a third of that gender pay gap is the result of unequal pay, i. e. the illegal practice of not paying women and men the same for work of equal value. And I know from our Equal Pay Advice Service that this does include some charity employers. Our research with the Runnymede Trust found that 75 percent of women of colour experience racism at work and 27 percent have experienced racial slurs. So people were rightly horrified by the example of Frank Hester and his abhorrent comments, but women of colour know that racism and sexism at work is the norm.
Women are being locked out of progression. 28 percent of women of colour reported that a manager had blocked their progression at work. 42 percent, nearly half, said they were passed over for promotion despite good feedback.
Sexual harassment, racism are enforcements of power, a way to preserve the status quo of who is valid, who deserves respect, and who can feel safe at work. Both have profound impacts on the mental health of victims and their experiences at the workplace. I think we can all agree that time is up on harassment and abuse at work.
But the reality is that there are still too many people who hold racist and misogynist views impacting on the women they work with. As employers, we have a responsibility to actively challenge and root this out. So employers need to pay real attention to the experiences of women of colour and have processes in place to create culture change and accountability.
From collecting data and reporting on pay gaps and progression to proper and safe reporting routes for those experiencing racism. Our report 'Broken ladders' highlights some of the important steps organisations can take.
Me Too shone a spotlight on just how pervasive workplace sexual harassment is and our research has found that 40 percent of women experience sexual harassment at some point in their career. Women of colour report even higher rates, and 68 percent of LGBTQ plus workers have experienced it. Those figures are likely to be the tip of the iceberg because 8 in 10 women never even report their experience.
Everyone should be as safe as possible at work. No one should experience sexual harassment as a result of trying to do their job. But the evidence is clear that this isn't just the abhorrent behaviour of a few individuals. It is about a societal culture that deems this behaviour acceptable, often under the guise of being "just banter", makes excuses for bad behaviour and ignores women. And this has to stop.
Our laws on sexual harassment have meant that employers aren't required to be proactive and take action to drive cultural change. And that can leave managers not knowing how to respond appropriately. Our research has found that managers do want more information and support so they can respond appropriately. We can, and we must, do better. I'm incredibly proud that last year Fawcett succeeded in winning a vital piece of legislation in partnership with Wera Hobhouse MP, which means employers will now be actively required to take steps to prevent sexual harassment rather than respond when it happens.
There are basic steps you can and should have in place which will address this. Fawcett has a toolkit for employers outlining what can be done to create a workplace that doesn't tolerate sexual harassment and there are five key aspects: culture, policy, training, reporting mechanisms, and the way employers respond to reports of harassment are critical. Successful and lasting change on this requires real commitment.
The last way I want to ask us to all think about our power to achieve change is by using our voice. Everyone here has important advocacy to do for your beneficiaries. But also, as a part of our employment ecosystem, you have a legitimate and powerful voice in those spaces too.
When we at Fawcett speak to government, our asks are significantly stronger when we can show that they're backed by employers large and small. There are challenges that are beyond your power as organisations, from a childcare system that is the most expensive in the OECD, to parental leave policies that make it hard and costly for men to take time off and shift that balance of unpaid care.
You may be able to enhance what you can offer to employees. You may not be in a position to do that, but I urge you to raise your voice as employers about the impact that not having this basic infrastructure in place has on your ability to deliver to your core mission. If you're struggling to retain or promote great women because the cost of childcare is too high or the pressures of balancing work and unpaid care are too much, you can, and you must rethink your systems. But also let government know that the status quo isn't working, and you want better. For the people you exist to serve, and the women and men you employ. Fawcett runs an equality network for organisations committed to improving equality in their organisations. So if this sounds like something you'd like to do more on, please do get in touch.
I'm going to wrap up now but lastly, I want to say thank you for the incredible work that you're all doing in what are often very testing circumstances to deliver change and build a better world. I know that all of us will be so much stronger, more powerful, more impactful if we can achieve that feminist future.
And the power of you all in this room is absolutely vital to achieving that. Thank you.
So I can take some questions if people have still got the energy or have anything on their mind. Either on some of those things or more broadly on women in the charity sector or equality more widely. I'll try and take them in rounds of three in case you ask me anything too difficult but please do raise your hands. We've got one at the back.
Audience question 1: Thank you. I got here late. So I've still got some energy. It's quite sobering as a man to be listening to this, whether we have daughters, sisters, mothers, whatever it might be in the sector. So the question is as much as the picture your painting is relatively bleak, have there been any definite improvements that you could comment upon over the course of the last three to five years?
Jemima Olchawski: Great, thank you. And there was one here on the second row.
Audience question 2: Hi, thank you for your speech. It was really good. I noticed that you used the word feminist, and it has become a bit of a tainted word to use of late. So what's your opinion on that and how should we address that?
Jemima Olchawski: Thanks. Can I ask you what kind of taintedness are you referring to? There's so much.
Audience question 2: It'd be good to see your opinion as well.
Jemima Olchawski: Okay, sure thank you. There's a woman just along from you. Thank you.
Audience question 3: You've spoken about some of the initiatives that the forces of society have. How do you go about monitoring them? So you've got toolkits and all sorts of things, which is great. Do you have an accreditation process, or do you help organisations to have long term views on implementing some of the things you've been speaking about?
Jemima Olchawski: Thank you. All really interesting questions. So maybe I'll take them in the order that you guys pitch them to me.
So first of all, yeah, lots of improvements. So as I said, we've changed the law on sexual harassment at work. That's an incredible achievement that took a lot of people many years. And I'm really proud of the role that Fawcett played on that. We've also had some really productive partnerships with employers. So we run an ancillary history campaign, which calls for employers to commit to not asking salary history questions. The evidence is really strong that it imports inequality into an organisation, potentially equal pay liabilities. The information most people get isn't very good because 40 percent of people don't give honest answers and it leaves potential employees with a bad impression of your organisation. It sets people off with a bad taste in their mouth.
We've worked and had over a hundred employers like News UK, Ikea commit to making that change and that's fantastic. And some big commitments around progress on flexible working. So we do now have a day one right to request flexible working. I think that's far too thin. Like you can't move your job and then ask, what are you going to do that afternoon when you've got to go and look after your mother who's in the care home or collect your children from school?" But it's progress in the right direction.
Maybe that also then connects to the second question about feminism and its reputation as a word, because I think we have seen a growth in people's confidence in identifying as feminists, which I think is fantastic .And growing numbers of young women feeling that is something that they want to identify with as well, of course, with women across the generations. But we have also recently seen a piece of research which said young men are the most likely group to believe that feminism has done more harm than good, which is deeply troubling.
They're more likely to think that than their fathers and grandfathers. I think we have to be really wary of that backlash and I would say one of the things that we see done really effectively is across the history of the women's rights movement is feminism being pitted as in opposition to men's wellbeing and the source of challenges that men face. And obviously, Andrew Tate does this really effectively.
Whereas the reality is that men are not struggling with issues around mental health or progression in the workplace or questions of identity because women have become more liberated. They too are being held back by oppressive, patriarchal ideas that say, "You need to be the alpha man, you need to be strong all the time, you shouldn't be spending time with your kids, you should be out earning money".
So actually the thing that will liberate us is the same. But it's convenient to blame feminism as part of the kind of disempowerment of that movement.
And then on impact. So we're a very small organisation. I'm very proud of the impact that we have, but there's only eight of us. So our ability to do long term evaluation is relatively small, but what we do pay a lot of attention to is the work that we're doing, generating change. So we're a campaigning organisation primarily, and you have to be looking at, are we kind of achieving progress and are we changing the law? Are we changing, for instance, we've succeeded in changing Ofsted guidance around school inspections.
So you need to be challenging gender norms and stereotypes to achieve a good now. We've worked with Cannes Lions, the advertising overarching body, on their guidelines for advertisers. So we're really mindful about making sure the work that we do is impactful and choosing things that are strategic so that they can have a kind of a bigger impact. I would love to do some long-term evaluation. If anyone wants to volunteer to come and do some of that with us, you are very welcome.
I think we've got time for just one more round of questions. This is the moment. Don't be shy. There's a woman there on the 4th row, please.
Audience question 4: Hi thank you so much for your talk. Do you guys focus in areas of education and politics? Or do you also go into healthcare? Just saying that as an advocate. Black women and, looking at organisations such as Five Times More, which obviously black women are five times more likely to die than anyone else whilst giving birth.
So yeah, so just organisations as such and seeing would you partner with them and work on policies because as someone that's experienced the Maternal healthcare system in the UK definitely that's something that I think should get some more look into, yeah. Thank you.
Jemima Olchawski: Is there one online? None online. Any others in the room? Okay, lovely. Thank you. I'll wrap up on that. It's a really interesting and important question. So a lot of our campaign work is focused on policy and legislation. We're embarking on a new piece of work in partnership with black equity organisation looking at public harms.
So the ways in which women and in particular, it's black women that are the sharpest end of this, experience active harms at the hands of the public services that should be keeping them safe. In the first instance, we're not looking at maternity because there is so much brilliant work already happening with organisations like Five Times More, but we're going to be looking at experiences in schools in mental health services, and in policing.
So that is a really important area that we will absolutely be doing more on. So thank you for raising it. Also, we are a membership organisation for individuals. So if you would like to play a part in supporting the move to end inequality and to liberate us all from those norms, please do join up because it makes an incredible difference to us as a small organisation.
Thank you very much.
