Wednesday 17th July 2024

Today, we celebrate a significant milestone as issues championed by Fawcett and our members on behalf of women across the UK have become priorities for our new government.

The King's Speech is a pivotal event in Parliament where the government outlines upcoming legislation. These proposals, after scrutiny, may become law. We are proud that two of our long-standing campaigns have been introduced, with the potential to transform women’s lives in the UK. We look forward to collaborating with the Government to ensure these Bills have a real and lasting impact.

Employment Rights Bill

We are thrilled that employment law is a priority for this government. The gender pay gap currently means that, on average, working women earn £574 less than men each month. Transforming the workplace is essential.

We expect this Bill to include some of Fawcett’s key campaigns, such as:

• Improvements to Gender Pay Gap Reporting: Ensuring that reporting drives real change within businesses.
• Default Flexible Working: Requiring employers to accommodate flexible working arrangements as much as possible.
• Parental Leave from Day One: Securing parental leave for employees starting from their first day of employment.
• Stronger Maternity Discrimination Protections: Making it unlawful to dismiss a woman within six months of her return to work after having a baby, except in specific circumstances.
• Menopause Action Plans: Mandating large businesses to have a menopause action plan.
• Extended Employment Tribunal Time Limits: Increasing the time limit for bringing claims to six months.

Although the Bill does not address workplace sexual harassment, we will continue advocating for stronger laws following our successful campaign for the Worker Protection Act.

Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill

This Bill aims to tackle inequality for ethnic minority and disabled people, significantly impacting women with multiple characteristics. Fawcett research shows that Bangladeshi women earn about a third less per hour than white men. The Bill proposes:

• Dual Discrimination Protections: Enacting protections in the Equality Act so women can bring discrimination cases based on sex and race, or sex and age.
• Ethnicity and Disability Pay Gap Reports: Requiring large employers to publish these reports.

We are pleased this Bill will be published in draft form to ensure its provisions are effective. There may also be opportunities to strengthen equal pay regulations.

Additional Announcements

We warmly welcome the announcement of a modernisation committee of the House of Commons to drive up standards and reform procedures. We will be campaigning to ensure this committee considers a gender perspective in proposing reforms.

Additionally, we will monitor the government’s plans to:

• Halve violence against women and girls.
• Establish appropriate legislation around AI.
• Reform the public sector, including the Mental Health Act.

Our recent report on public harms highlighted how the current Mental Health Act fails Black women. We will campaign for the new Act to be co-designed with them.

A Message from Jemima

“I’m incredibly proud that campaigning by Fawcett and our members has led to policies in the King's Speech that will make a real difference to women. These changes are fundamental to ensuring that the world of work treats women as equals. Enabling all women to fully utilise their talents at work is not only good for women but also for our economy. Improving workplace equality will deliver higher productivity and growth, and reduce our pernicious gender pay gap. However, our work is not done. We need ethnicity pay gap reporting for all businesses and meaningful, measurable action plans published by all employers. Feminism must benefit all women, not just a privileged few. Our research shows Black and minoritised women face compounded discrimination. Highlighting the problem is the first step to tackling it.

With the support of Fawcett members, we will work with and hold the government accountable to deliver this agenda. Join us and help create a feminist future.”