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Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee recently held an evidence session as part of its Older People and Employment Inquiry, where it heard that women are more likely to be victims of age discrimination in the workplace than men.
Those giving evidence included representatives from trade union Unison, who reported that older workers frequently miss out on training opportunities, with employers focusing much of their development efforts on younger workers, reports People Management
Older female workers generally face additional obstacles in accessing training, says Unison, because they often have caring responsibilities outside the workplace. Employers need to be more proactive in addressing these needs, for example through allowing more flexible working.
These views were echoed by representatives of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, who were also giving evidence at the hearing. They added that there was still an ‘age bias’ in evidence amongst employers, and more needed to be done to address this, particularly at the recruitment stage.
The >Committee’s inquiry initially launched in March last year, with the objectives of looking at current Government policies to help people extend their working lives, and considering what more could be done to tackle issues including age discrimination.
The need for action is undeniable. Figures published by the inquiry revealed that in 2010 one in four of the working age population was aged 50 or over, and this is projected to increase to one in three by 2022. However, the average age of people leaving the labour market is lower than in 1950, while life expectancy has increased: a quarter of men and a third of women reaching state pension age have not worked for five years or more. Almost one million people in the same age range who are not in employment state that they are willing or would like to work.
If you have been the victim of age discrimination at work, then contact our specialist employment lawyers today.
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
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