Starm Laws – A New Hope?

Starm Laws – A New Hope?

By Alma Sheren, Greenacre Group

OK, he may be no Luke Skywalker if we are judging by historic (decisive) actions. But with the force of the electorate having been awakened, could this finally be the new hope we’ve been awaiting in terms of political progress for the UK? Or will the incumbent Prime Minister turn out to be nothing more than a phantom menace, leading a pack of previous government clones?

Some might argue that the bar has been set relatively low over the past decade for political and social evolution in the UK. But it would be wrong to suggest that there haven’t been some tentative strides forward in terms of policy and practice. Even so, the new government has a fair amount of work to do in order to bring the country back into balance, whilst making sure that the modest gains for the sector and for the rest of the UK are not lost in battle amid all the fanfare.

A disturbance in the force

Rachel Reeves, the new CHan Solo of the Exchequer (I’m so sorry) is the first woman ever to have taken up the post, in what has been coined as 'the most diverse cabinet in terms of race and gender that UK politics have ever seen.’ As she steps forth swishing her lightsaber (definitely not a euphemism), Reeves comes armed with promises of sweeping change, including planning system reforms and a pledge to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament.

Reeves, a former Bank of England economist, also states that her role comes with significant responsibility, including demonstrating to other women that there should be “no limits to their ambition.”

In a recent interview with The Conversation, Reeves states that her vision for a thriving economy is one where “women are empowered, their contributions are valued and their rights are protected”. Reeves believes that in order for everyone across the country to benefit from sustainable growth, there must be a determination to redress the balance for gender equity in the workplace.

In essence, we now have a chancellor in place who not only knows her economic onions, but also recognises the data – which shows that when women are properly supported in the workplace, the entire country benefits through higher productivity levels, GDP increases and better decisions made that collectively benefit the UK (and global) population.

Making strides towards equity

We know from additional research, including that carried out through the Hear Her Voice in the Workplace campaign led by WISH President Tracey McEachran, that gender bias is still rife across our workspaces.

50% of the UK work population at some point will have to grapple with often debilitating gender related health issues while carrying out their jobs, often suffering in silence through fear of stigma. Women are also still juggling their workloads whilst statistically carrying the largest portion of familial and domestic responsibilities when they get home - and getting paid, on average, less for their efforts.

On top of this, not only are women are perceived as ‘dominating the conversation ‘ if they speak for the same amount of time as (or even less than) their male counterparts in a work meeting, but on average, a group needs to be 80% women for their voices to be equally heard.

And it’s not just how women are treated and heard at work and in society that brings inequality; how we look and dress also comes under continuous scrutiny. Afterall, anyone would have thought that Reeves, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rainer and the rest of the new female cabinet members had all turned turn up to the Commons in Princess Leia outfits by the attention their modest trouser suits had garnered by the British Press.

Clearly there is still a huge amount of work to do when it comes to hearing women’s voices and being judged by actions rather than outfits. And although the new government appears to be showing great strides (scuse the pun) in terms of tackling gender bias in the workplace, it will take more than one powerful woman’s trouser suit…I mean voice…to stop the media empire from striking back in a ridiculous fashion.

So let’s all keep the momentum going as we continue to awaken the force of the female voice in the workplace. After all, the future success of the economy will depend on it.

*Image courtesy of Newzealander1 from Pixabay