Culture and Society: Women in Business

British women are taking an increasing number of positions at the decision-making level.

Women in the UK are paid less than men for the same jobs.

Women in the United Kingdom form a majority of the workforce in the educational, service, and healthcare sectors.

General

There has been dramatic growth in women’s participation in all areas of society in the United Kingdom in the 21st century. Women these days make up about half the workforce, and an ever-increasing number of them are choosing self-employment. This has seen the gender gap in the business sector narrow considerably, leading to a more balanced economic environment. Women, however, do face certain levels of discrimination, including under-representation in elite jobs and over-representation in lower-status work. New laws and government programs have also encouraged women to join the workforce or to start their own businesses, especially in those sectors where women have traditionally been under-represented.

Legal Rights

Women in the United Kingdom have the same legal rights as men, including the right to own a business as well as to own and inherit property. The United Kingdom granted women full voting rights in 1928. Women in the United Kingdom suffer gender-based pay discrimination, with studies showing that women working full-time are paid 17 to 20 percent less than men performing the same jobs.

Women in Professions

Women in the United Kingdom form a majority of the workforce in the educational, healthcare, and service sectors. These include jobs as receptionists, clerks and assistants at offices, nurses and medical attendants, teachers, financial clerks, customer care representatives, and domestic cleaners. Women are, however, taking an increasing number of positions at the decision-making level, to the extent that about 33 percent of managers and directors of companies are women.

The outlook for the continued growth of women in the business sector is very positive, with surveys indicating that an increasing number of young women find entrepreneurial activity an attractive career choice.

The only jobs that women are barred from are certain combat positions in the armed forces. There are no dress code restrictions for women in the United Kingdom that prevent them from taking certain jobs.

For working mothers, there are many private day-care centers, au pairs, nannies, and babysitters available, although these services can be expensive. Some state-sponsored childcare is also available on the basis of need, and the government is continuing to develop its National Childcare Strategy to ensure that childcare does not become a barrier to women’s participation in the country’s economic sector.

Women as Business Owners

An increasing number of women in the United Kingdom are launching their own businesses. This proliferation of women-owned businesses has significantly changed the economic landscape of the country, with women being quick to adapt themselves to the changes required in an increasingly technology-driven business environment. Women-owned businesses typically tend to focus on the service, educational, healthcare, public administration, trade, retail, distribution, and hospitality sectors.