Ethnic women and work

For along time it was thought that women from ethnic backgrounds were underrepresented in the workplace due to cultural reasons, such as the ‘unwritten rules about work’ that prevented them from getting into work. But a new report has recently found that discrimination in the workplace is the main cause for under-representation in the workplace.

The report, Moving On up: Ethnic Minority Women at Work, has found that Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean are the worst affected.

It is more than just cultural barriers that prevent these women from getting into the workplace, in some cases those groups of women can be overqualified for the position.

The report suggests that government policies need to tackle the situation with more practical solutions support with the cost of childcare and more advice and choice at school and in later years.

Even though the government has become aware of Britain’s increasingly diverse culture it is still not dealing with the problems that people from ethnic backgrounds are faced with in day to day life.

The under-representation of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean women in the workplace need to be tackled by employers to become a more diverse workplace.

Being a young British Asian I do feel the need that there are opportunities available to me but I will miss out on because of the discrimination that young ethnic women are faced with. This doesn’t make me any less determined just more aware of the things that I may have to face later on in life.