Female employment issues

Firstly the role of women in general differs from their male counterparts. A survey carried out in EU countries examined the work preferences of couples with small children; found that only one in ten couples supported the traditional male only breadwinner model. This traditional model of employment is now out dated. The finding adds to the debate about improving access to employment for women: this in theory will help raise income levels and employment performance, as many economists state, but it is also what most women actually seem to want. Women across the developed world want to go out to work, but some countries do better than others at enabling them to do so (Jaumotte, F 2005).

The Sex Discrimination Act of  was established by the  to protect ,  and  people from  on the grounds of . "The Act is mainly in relation to employment, training, education, the provision of goods and services and in the disposal of premises." (Source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.)

Within the amendments, there is a new definition of indirect sex discrimination in employment matters and vocational training. In order to understand the significance of this change an organization and its HR department have to know and clearly understand the new definition of indirect sex discrimination.

Taken directly from the Amended Equal Treatment Directive, “Indirect sex discrimination can occur when an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice (which can include a policy) applies to all workers or applicants but causes particular disadvantage to a certain section of women or men.  This may be apparent from a comparison of the statistics of male or female workers or applicants who are at a disadvantage, i.e. that a larger proportion of one sex experiences a detriment.”