Unequal Wales: the evidence

Victoria Winckler

Bevan Foundation

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About the Review of evidence

Commissioned by EHRC - Jan 2008

Brief was to ‘undertake a review of recent research evidence on equality issues in Wales’.

Completed October 2008 - published March 2009

What it covered

Each equality strand plus Welsh language

Only research specific to Wales. Published between 2000 and Oct.

2008. Not guaranteed to be comprehensive. Broad definition of research.

Employment themes Economic activity Unemployment Self employment Pay Occupational segregation Flexible working Fair treatment at work Trade union membership

Economic Activity - race

Ethnic minorities less likely to be economically active than White groups.

variation between ethnic groups, Variation between women and men, Variation between younger / older people. Particularly low rates amongst refugees.

Economic activity - gender

Women less likely to be economically active than men:

Gap widest for ages 25 - 39 Women with dependent children much less likely

to work than men with dependent children Maternity leave patterns very similar to England Powerful evidence on impact of caring for children

and other relatives on women’s employment

Economic activity - disability Huge and widening gap between disabled and

non-disabled people. NB gap particularly large in Wales. Variation according to disability

- people with mental health conditions have lowest activity rates

Disabled people with qualifications more likely to be employed than those without qualifications

Economic activity - age

Older people (50+) less likely to be active than younger people.

NB particularly low rate for older people in Wales.

Economic activity - sexual orientation and religion

Very little evidence LGB activity rate appears little different Muslims have low rate, mainly because of

of very low participation of Muslim women.

Unemployment Higher rates amongst: ethnic minority groups than Whites disabled people than non-disabled younger people than older people

Lower rates amongst women - and different experiences

Data on sexual orientation and religion unreliable / old

Self-employment

Higher amongst: Ethnic minority groups than White groups. disabled people than non-disabled (?) older people than younger people Muslims than other religions. LGB than whole population. Much lower amongst women than men.

Pay

Strong evidence of pay gaps for: Migrant vs Welsh workers Women vs men Disabled vs non-disabled Younger & older workers vs middle aged Little or no evidence on sexual orientation

and religion

Pay (cont.)

Gender pay gap: Greatest in private sector, at top of pay

scale, where no collective bargaining Some evidence that Wales not performing

well on action on gender pay gap Though positive evaluation of close gap

campaign

Segregation Marked segregation by occupation and

industry for: Ethnic minority groups - further complicated

by gender & age Women - sector, industry, occupation and

apprenticeships Disabled people

Limited evidence for others

Flexible working

Part time working: More women than men work PT mainly because

of care responsibilities More disabled people than non-disabled people

work PT More older people than younger people work PT More white people than ethnic minority groups

work PT

Flexible working

Evidence on other forms of flexible working mixed

Variable access to it Variable levels of take up Implementation matters as well as policy

Fair treatment Less bullying / discrimination in Wales than

elsewhere? Fewer cases?

Evidence of unfair treatment amongst: Ethnic minority groups Women especially pregnant women LGB workers Non-Christian groups Little evidence on disability and age

Trades union membership

Most likely to be members: Women Older people Resident rather than migrant workers No evidence on race, disability, religion or

sexual orientation

Conclusions

Patchwork of evidence Common issues across equality ‘strands’: Routes into employment

- expectations / opportunities- adapting jobs for caring and disability

Pay gaps Bullying and discrimination

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