Employment: Women

Tackling child poverty and reaching an 80% employment rate are key Government objectives. The Get Britain Working White Paper outlines plans to transform the jobs and careers service into a more inclusive, skills-focused system that helps people find and progress into meaningful work. Women are more likely to have the main childcare responsibility in the family and more likely to provide care for loved ones who have a disability or health condition, which can be barriers to moving into work. Supporting more women into work is essential to increasing household income, reducing child poverty and reaching an 80% employment rate. This is supported by the work of the Child Poverty Taskforce.

Lead carers and part-time carers receive personalised support from work coaches who tailor expected work or job search hours based on individual circumstances including the age of their youngest child or other circumstances which limit the customer’s ability to work, for example a health condition. Employment support includes skills assessments, training referrals, careers advice, job search assistance, volunteering opportunities and financial help for the costs of moving into work through the Flexible Support Fund. The Government also provides a range of support for childcare costs for eligible working parents including the upfront costs. We also take seriously the impact of menopause as a barrier to work, so on World Menopause Day, the Government appointed Mariella Frostrup as the new Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador is working closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing the menopause.