SECTOR FOCUS
In this section we take a deeper look at some the sectors which employ large numbers of young women in low-paid roles. We highlight:
- Hospitality
- Retail
- Health and social care
- Education
Our survey has found that in these sectors, young women are faring significantly worse in relation to some aspects of decent work like pay and job security, as well as facing higher levels of discrimination.
Hospitality
Young women working in bars, restaurants and cafes are much less likely to be getting even basic protections or the minimum wage. Zero hours contracts and insecure work are common:
|
All young women |
Hospitality |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Young women - have been employed without a contract |
30% |
41% |
|
Young women - have been asked to work for no pay |
38% |
48% |
|
Young women - have been paid less than the minimum wage |
22% |
29% |
|
Young women - have been offered a zero hours contract |
40% |
61% |
|
Employers – don’t provide at least four weeks’ notice of shifts |
18% |
40% |
|
Young women – worried about not having enough paid hours |
37% |
53% |
|
Young women – worried about job security |
38% |
42% |
|
Young women – worried about job security |
31% |
52% |
They are more likely to experience sexual harassment and discrimination.
|
All young women |
Hospitality |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Young women who disagree that women and men are given the same opportunities to progress |
28% |
34% |
|
HR decision makers aware of young women being discriminated against for being pregnant, on parental leave or returning to work |
12% |
20% |
|
HR decision makers reluctant to hire a woman who they thought might go on to start a family |
18% |
25% |
|
HR decision makers aware of young women being discriminated against for their appearance |
11% |
21% |
|
HR decision makers agree that whether a woman is pregnant or has young children has a negative impact on organisational decisions regarding career progression or promotion. |
33% |
42% |
Despite this, HR decision makers in hospitality were more likely to say it is difficult to find information about how to report discrimination (16% compared to 13% on average).
Employers in hospitality seem less likely to be working to tackle the gender pay gap, and more likely to be using practices which contribute to the pay gap.
|
All young women |
Hospitality |
|
|---|---|---|
|
HR decision makers who don’t think that their organisation takes gender pay gap reporting seriously enough |
19% |
24% |
|
Young women who think think their employer is doing enough to tackle the gender pay gap |
48% |
42% |
|
HR decision makers who say jobs are advertised without a salary level |
44% |
47% |
|
HR decision makers who say they offer flexible working |
77% |
66% |
And young women working in hospitality are feeling less supported and less able to progress.
|
All young women |
Hospitality |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Young women worried about not having the support they need in their job |
41% |
45% |
|
Young women disagree that young women are given the same opportunities to progress |
28% |
34% |
|
HR decision makers who say their organisation offers training and development for young women |
57% |
44% |
Retail
Young women working in retail are more worried than average about pay, job security and getting enough paid hours. Perhaps unsurprisingly, along with hospitality, this is one of the industries in which women are the most unhappy at work.
|
All young women |
Retail |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Worried about how much their job pays |
56% |
61% |
|
Worried about job security |
38% |
43% |
|
Worried about not having enough paid hours |
37% |
52% |
|
Worried about having regular/predictable hours |
31% |
44% |
There also seem to be higher levels of sexist attitudes in retail and less action to tackle pay gaps, with the highest numbers for these statements out of all industries:
|
All young women |
Retail |
|
|---|---|---|
|
HR decision-makers who disagree that their organisation is doing enough to tackle the gender pay gap |
19% |
25% |
|
HR decision-makers whose organisation does not have any measures in place to help bring about women’s equality |
17% |
21% |
- Almost a quarter (23%) of HR decision makers working in retail said that young men are more interested in progressing their careers than young women, compared to 19% across all industries.
Perhaps this is unsurprising for a sector that has large numbers of women in shop-floor roles, and it is having an impact on young women’s progression:
|
All young women |
Retail |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Young women disagree that young women are given the same opportunities to progress |
28% |
31% |
|
HR decision makers who say their organisation offers training and development for young women |
57% |
42% |
|
HR decision makers who say that their organisation did not offer anything to support the development of young women |
20% |
25% |
|
HR decision makers who disagree that their organisation supports young women to progress their careers |
13% |
16% |
Education
Young women’s experiences in the education sector seem marked by some of the highest levels of worry about pay, alongside discrimination and lack of progression opportunities.
Young women in education are least likely to think their employer is doing enough to tackle the gender pay gap.
- 42% of those in education think this, compared to 48% overall.
And discrimination is much more prevalent in the sector than average:
|
HR decision-makers – all industries |
HR decision-makers - education |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Aware of young women being discriminated against in the past year |
30% |
35% |
|
Agree that sexist behaviour still exists in their organisation |
33% |
37% |
In the education sector, a lack of flexible working is one of the biggest barriers young women are facing.
|
HR decision-makers – all industries |
HR decision-makers - education |
|
|---|---|---|
|
HR decision makers who are aware of young women leaving their organisation in the past year due to the job not being flexible enough to meet their needs |
16% |
28% |
|
HR decision makers who say their organisation offers flexible working |
77% |
69% |
|
Young women who would not feel comfortable asking employer to work flexibly |
24% |
35% |
Despite being a female-dominated sector, women are struggling to progress. This is perhaps because the lack of flexibility is causing them to leave the sector or trapping them in more junior roles, or because of a lack of support for women’s progression.
|
HR decision-makers – all industries |
HR decision-makers - education |
|
|---|---|---|
|
HR decision makers in education are aware of young women missing out on progression opportunities due to childcare commitments |
12% |
21% |
|
HR decision makers who say men are more likely to be in leadership positions |
28% |
33% |
|
HR decision makers who say their organisation provides specific support or development opportunities for young women (the least likely of all sectors) |
52% |
45% |
|
Young women who disagree that women and men are given the same opportunities to progress |
28% |
31% |
Health and social care
Respondents in health and social care also reported a higher than average amount of sexist behaviour.
Some of the sexist attitudes we looked at amongst HR decision-makers were highest in this sector:
- 59% of HR decision makers working in health and social care agree that women are more likely to prioritise family over work, compared to 46% across all industries.
|
HR decision-makers – all industries |
HR decision-makers – health and social care |
|
|---|---|---|
|
HR decision makers who disagree that their organisation supports young women to progress their careers |
13% |
17% |
|
HR decision makers in education are aware of young women missing out on progression opportunities due to childcare commitments |
12% |
21% |
Mental health appears to be a big challenge in health and social care:
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