Call to demand better support for women workers on International Women’s Day

The TUC will mark International Women’s Day (Tuesday 8 March) by calling on corporations to prove how they are supporting women in their workforce.

International Women’s Day is an important global celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women.

But too many corporations pay lip service to this day, while failing to support the women in their workforce, says the TUC.

Women still face significant discrimination at work and in wider society, and employers have a vital role to play in advancing women’s equality.

The gender pay gap persists at 15.4 per cent, and the gender pensions gap is more than twice the pay gap at 37.8 per cent.

We know that 54,000 women are forced out of the labour market every year due to pregnancy and maternity discrimination. And one million women have been forced to leave their jobs due to the lack of support for them while experiencing menopause.

Violence against women extends into the workplace with half of all women experiencing sexual harassment at work, rising to seven in 10 for disabled women. One in eight LBT women have experienced serious sexual assault while at work.

This International Women’s Day, the TUC is encouraging people to reply to marketing emails from companies and ask them what they are doing to support women at work – with a template email people can copy and paste so they can have a say in demanding better from companies.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the inequalities faced by women and to demand change.

“If brands and corporations say they support equal pay, we want to see their gender pay gap action plan. If they claim to support working parents and carers, we want proof that they advertise all jobs as flexible.

“We cannot afford to be complacent about women’s equality.”