 |
|
 Unionlearn ‘The Equality & Diversity Forum’ Unionlearn ‘The Equality & Diversity Forum’ Unionlearn ‘The Equality & Diversity Forum’ Unionlearn ‘The Equality & Diversity Forum’ Unionlearn ‘The Equality & Diversity Forum’ Northwest Learning Centre Strategy Unions and Employers helping to build Working Communities Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire unionlearn forum  |
Women working in Science, Engineering, Technology and the Built EnvironmentWomen working in science, engineering, technology and the built environment (known as SET) often face additional barriers at work. These are sectors where women are normally in a minority, especially at senior levels. They may feel isolated and highly visible. Women may experience barriers such as a lack of part-time jobs and a culture of long working hours, which conflict with their responsibilities at home. In some places there may be more obvious ways in which the SET workplace is inhospitable, such as the use of sexist language or inappropriate images of women displayed on walls. When asked why they had left SET jobs, the two reasons most commonly given by women were: - an uncomfortable or inhospitable environment to work in
Why do we need a gender balance?http://www.theukrc.org/resources/the-business-case 'The best man for the job may be a woman'The UK has skills shortages in the science, engineering, technology and built environment sectors. Encouraging applications from women as well as men increases the size of the talent pool and the likelihood of finding the right person for the job. Reflecting the Customer BaseIt is said that women either make or influence 90% of consumer purchasing decisions. Companies such as Ford Motor Company increasingly realise that they are better able to understand and communicate with customers if their workforce is diverse enough to reflect their customer base. Company Reputation and ResponsibilitiesMany employers want to be seen as ‘employers of choice’ in the job market and fulfil their corporate social responsibilities in order to enhance their reputation. In addition, employers that compete for public funds are required to be proactive in promoting equality of opportunity under the terms of the Gender Equality Duty. The UKRC* - http://www.theukrc.org works to improve the participation and position of women in SET occupations in industry, research, academia and public service. The UKRC provides support to organisations in the SET sectors and to individual women entering, returning and progressing in these fields. Services for WomenThe UKRC offers information, advice and support to women working in SET at any stage in their careers. They support women:
The UKRC also supports people who help other women in SET in a range of organisations, such as trade unions and schools. Support available to womenThe UKRC offers a support package tailored to an individual woman’s needs including:
The UKRC works to raise the profile of women in science, engineering and technology by working with the media and promoting women role models. – http://www.theukrc.org/women/a-z-of-advice-for-women/role-models It also works to increase the number of women members on the boards of public bodies –http://www.theukrc.org/women/public-appointments within these sectors. Services for Organisationshttp://www.theukrc.org/for-organisations The UKRC provides advice on gender equality policy and practice for organisations in industry and academia and has a range of services and tools to help them implement change and reach and retain women. Their services are available to employers, unions, learning providers, professional bodies and sector skills councils. They run an accreditation and benchmarking scheme called SET Fair Standard – http://www.theukrc.org/for-organisations/set-fair-standard to recognise and share best practice and offer a range of good practice guides, - http://www.theukrc.org/for-organisations/good-practice-guides which are downloadable from their website. You can contact the UKRC - http://www.theukrc.org on 01274 436485 or at info@theukrc.org
|
