Disabled women workers’ pay gap and professional development

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Conference
2018 National Disabled Members' Conference
Date
6 July 2018
Decision
Carried

Conference welcomes the recent gender pay investigation, which exposed the gender pay gaps of large companies across the UK. Conference notes that there is no equivalent disability pay investigation, however the Equality and Human Rights Commission noted in its 2017 report that the overall ‘disability pay gap’ is 13.6%. This would suggest that where women in general are often disadvantaged by a gender pay gap, disabled women are further disadvantaged by a disability pay gap, and that there is still a disparity between women’s and disabled women’s pay.

Furthermore, disabled women face significant barriers relating to career progression and professional development. Part of the problem stems from negative disablist and sexist stereotyping, combined with a lack of positive role models and examples of disabled women who have progressed in their careers.

Conference calls on the National Disabled Members Committee to:

a)Work with the National Women’s Committee to consider how pathways to professional development and promotion and the creation of role models for women disabled workers can be encouraged in employers

b)Encourage branch Equality Officers and the new rule book Women’s Officers to champion disabled women in the workplace and promote training and development opportunities to disabled women members

c)Lobby government and work with Labour Link to commit the Labour Party to legislate for companies to report on their disability pay gap

d)Highlight the contribution of our disabled women activists and seek inclusion in high profile UNISON campaigns such as Public Service Champions.