Women in the north of England work more hours for less pay and more likely to live in poverty than women in other regions of England, according to new research published today.
The Women of the North report, the result of in-depth analysis by Liverpool University researchers and published by Health Equity North, found that women in northern England work more hours for less pay than women in the rest of the country.
Median weekly wages for women in the North were below the national average for those in both full-time and part-time employment. The average weekly wage for a full-time working woman in Yorkshire and the Humber was £567, much lower than the national average (£625) and considerably lower than for women in London (£757). The gap in pay between the North and London has grown over time, researchers found.
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The average weekly wage for women in the North West was £598 and £569 in the North East.
Overall, women of the North lost out over the year to the tune of £6.86 billion, the report claimed.
The study also found women in the North had lower healthy life expectancy, fewer qualifications, worse mental health, and were more likely to suffer domestic violence or to end up in the criminal justice system than their counterparts in the rest of England. In addition, infant mortality is higher and abortions were more common.
They also contributed £10bn of unpaid care to the UK economy each year – £2bn a year more than if they provided the national average of unpaid care.
The report, which has been backed by the North’s two female mayors Tracy Brabin and Kim McGuinness, focused on the impact of austerity, the cost-of-living crisis, economic uncertainty, the pandemic and unequal funding formulas on women in northern regions.
Hannah Davies, executive director at Health Equity North, said: “Our report provides damning evidence of how women in the North are being failed across the whole span of their lives. Over the last 10 years, women in the North have been falling behind their counterparts in the rest of country, both in terms of the wider determinants of health and, consequently, inequalities in their health.
The University of Liverpool’s Professor David Taylor-Robinson added that the report was evidence that health in the UK was deteriorating for girls and women, especially in poor areas. “The report outlines what we need to do to address these inequalities, addressing the poverty crisis and re-investing in preventative services in areas that need them most,” he said.
The two northern mayors who endorsed the report added that the “strength and resilience of women in the region is apparent. Their hard work through paid and unpaid labour underpins the economy of the North. Through adversity, and sometimes unbearable conditions they still manage to live, hold families and communities together and even thrive.”
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