Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsSex discrimination

Women’s rights group claims unfair impact of recession proves need for quotas

by Kat Baker 6 Mar 2009
by Kat Baker 6 Mar 2009

The recession has highlighted the urgent need for a quota system to boost female representation on company boards, a leading women’s campaign group has said.

According to a report published by the Fawcett Society women bear the brunt of job cuts during the recession because they are more likely to work flexibly, be in part-time work or be on temporary contracts.

By introducing a quota system the campaign group believes more emphasis will be placed on the value of women in the workplace – as seen in Norway where the introduction of a similar quota led to female representation on boards increasing from 6% to 44% in six years.

Currently, only 12% of directors on FTSE–100 boards are women and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) predicted that it will take 73 years before there are equal numbers of men and women in the boardrooms of listed companies in the UK.

Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society, said: “This recession must not be used as an excuse to send women back to the kitchen. Women are now looking to the government to send out a strong signal to businesses that it will not compromise on women’s rights.”

The campaign group also said it welcomed the joint venture announced this week by the EHRC and the Department for Work and Pensions to investigate the impact of the recession on minority groups, but insisted that it must take into account how the downturn could affect different groups of women in different ways.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Jessica Woodrosse, head of campaigns at Fawcett Society, told Personnel Today: “The government needs to look in detail at different groups of women, especially ethnic minority women. Looking at women as [one big] group might hide some of the specific issues affecting smaller groups.”

In January, Personnel Today reported that twice as many women as men were being made redundant during the economic downturn.

Kat Baker

previous post
NHS Plus demonstration sites: Let’s put it all together
next post
Serial litigants could be stopped by HR sharing knowledge of suspicious claims

You may also like

MPs demand Home Office tighten visas to protect...

4 Jul 2025

100% success for latest large-scale four-day week trial

3 Jul 2025

NHS 10-year Health Plan sets out vision for...

3 Jul 2025

Microsoft to cut 9,000 jobs globally as role...

3 Jul 2025

Decline in workplace deaths: falls from height remain...

3 Jul 2025

How can HR prepare for changes to the...

3 Jul 2025

Data skills gap getting in way of AI...

3 Jul 2025

Top 10 HR questions June 2025: Redundancy consultation

2 Jul 2025

Aircrew with cancer pursuing MoD for compensation –...

2 Jul 2025

Living wage pushes up spring pay settlements

2 Jul 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+