In this blog, Dr Helen Norman, Professor Colette Fagan, and Dr Nina Teasdale examine the political and economic influences which dissuade involvement in childcare by fathers. They explore what might encourage greater involvement, and suggest ways to embed this in local and national policy. National policy focuses on helping mothers rather than fathers to adapt […]
Ethnicity and gender in the Greater Manchester labour market
While male employment levels are roughly equal between ethnicities, women from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to be employed than their white peers. Here, Professor Ruth Lupton explores the reasons behind this disparity, and how policy and data-based approaches can help address it. Around 75% of white men are employed, while for the larger […]
Striving for gender balance in the IT industry
Early computing was dominated by women, most often working as machine operators. Since the 1970s, however, they have been side-lined by the tech industry, replaced by higher paid men. Professor Debra Howcroft critically examines the increasingly gendered environment within the IT sector, and offers solutions to encourage women to return to the industry they played […]
The gender pay gap in Greater Manchester: What it tells us and what it doesn’t tell us about gender equality
The gender pay gap is considered a key indicator of gender equality as a whole. Here, Professor Jill Rubery breaks down the data behind local and national pay disparity, and offers policy based solutions which positively affect both male and female workers. The narrower gender pay gap in Greater Manchester, compared to England as a […]
Gender and occupational segregation in Greater Manchester
Within the Greater Manchester region, the highest paid roles are typically dominated by men. In this blog, Anna Sanders and Professor Francesca Gains break down the gender ratios within several key sectors, and offer solutions to increase gender parity across the region. Men are concentrated in higher-paid occupational sectors. Two-thirds of managers, directors and senior […]
Gender disparities in education
While girls may have overtaken boys in terms of academic success, disadvantages remain for young people across all social groups and ethnicities. In this blog, Professor Ruth Lupton explores the reasons behind gender disparity, and how Greater Manchester authorities can set a national example. We can’t assume that the opportunity gaps for girls have been […]
Getting gender on the devolution agenda
In this blog, Francesca Gains, Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of Policy@Manchester, discusses the importance of including women’s voices and their experiences (in all their diversity) in devolved policymaking. As the Greater Manchester Combined Authority refreshes its strategy (Our People, Our Place) and other combined authorities develop their local strategies, it will be crucial […]
Does fathers’ involvement in childcare influence mothers’ employment post-childbirth?
In October 2019, the Government Equalities Office published three pieces of research on the barriers to women’s progression. In this blog, Dr Helen Norman, Research Fellow in Sociology, discusses some of the findings in relation to her own research into the impact of paternal involvement in childcare on mothers’ employment trajectories during the early stages […]
Transforming the response to drug and alcohol dependent perpetrators of domestic abuse
As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign has just started, David Gadd, Professor of Criminology (The University of Manchester), Juliet Henderson (King’s College London), Polly Radcliffe (King’s College London), Danielle Stephens-Lewis (University of Worcester), Amy Johnson(University of Worcester) and Gail Gilchrist (King’s College London) discuss the research they have been undertaking as […]
Women in environmental sciences
Dr Cecilia Medupin is a Lecturer in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, at The University of Manchester and convener of Women in Environmental Sciences group. On Ada Lovelace day, Cecilia gives her eight-point plan for how to tackle inequality for women in environmental science. Including: It is essential to create a platform, or […]