The Other Side of the Equation – The Demands of Women on Re‐entering the Labour Market
| Pages | 17-28 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425459110144540 |
| Date | 01 March 1991 |
| Published date | 01 March 1991 |
| Author | Geraldine Healy,David Kraithman |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
THE DEMANDS OF WOMEN ON RE-ENTERING THE LABOUR MARKET 17
W
hat
do
women themselves declare
to
be the
important features
in
their
returning
to
work?
The Other Side
of
the
Equation
—
The Demands
of Women
on
Re-entering
the
Labour Market
Geraldine Healy and David Kraithman
Employee Relations.
Vol 13 No 3, 1991, pp 17-28
©
MCB
Uniersity Press, 0142-5455
The 1990s began with much rhetoric about
the
role
of
women in the labour market. The demographic changes
resulting in a declining number of
young
people entering
the labour market
has led to a
reconsideration
of the
largely underutilised labour resource of
women
returners.
Government ministers have argued that
up to the
year
2000 women are expected to account for over
90
per cent
of new
jobs[1].
The interest in the role played by women
in the labour market has been great, demonstrated by the
quantity
of
column inches
and
general media coverage
reporting survey findings, legal judgements, conferences,
speeches as
well
as employer
and
trade union initiatives[2].
Projected labour supply factors have been
the
push
for
the interest
in
women returners. There have been
a
number
of
well-publicised initiatives
—
for
example,
the
Midland Bank's plans to set up 300 workplace nurseries,
Boots' introduction
of a
job-sharing scheme
for
junior
managers,
the
giving
of
bonuses
to
women returning
to
work within a year by the Royal UK insurance company,
measures by GEC Marconi to recruit and retain women
in technical and engineering posts, and the availability of
grants
by the
Engineering Industry Training Board
to
encourage the retraining of
women
operatives, secretaries
and clerical staff as technicians[3]. The extent
to
which
these initiatives become widespread, rather than isolated
examples, will depend on the willingness of
employers
to
develop professional human resource strategies which lead
to the effective harnessing of the heterogeneous labour
market of women returners. Such labour market strategies
rely
on
knowledge
of the
characteristics
of
women
returners. Interest in women returners occurs
at a
time
not only of the demographic changes adversely affecting
the number of young people entering the labour market,
but also
in a
climate
of
economic uncertainty. Such
a
climate may prevent
the
serious reconsideration
of
the
employment of
women,
and particularly women returners.
Nevertheless we know that there has been
a
steady rise
in the female share of the labour market (roughly 0.4 per
cent
a
year, 1970-1987) which confirms that in
numerical
terms women are still gradually headed towards equality
with men
at
work[4].
At the
same time,
the
number of
young people entering the labour market during the 1990s
is declining.
It was
in the
context
of a
steadily declining number of
young people
in the
labour market,
and a
perceived
shortage of
skills
within the Hertfordshire economy, that
the
Training Agency
commissioned
a
regional study in 1989
from
the
Local Economy Research Unit
at
Hatfield
Polytechnic[5]. That study set out to examine the factors
which influence the participation in the labour market of
women with young children
in
terms
of
their aims,
aspirations, training needs, and the constraints they face.
This article examines those research findings,
and it
relates
the
self-perceived employment needs
of
women
with young children
to the
policies
and
practices
of
employers and trade unions. Finally it considers the likely
impact
on the
employment
of
women,
and
particularly
women returners,
of the
changing environment
of the
1990s. Throughout
it
argues that knowledge
of the
characteristics
and
aspirations
of
women returners
is
essential
to
those responsible
for
human resource
planning,
and
that shifts
in
employment practices could
improve labour utilisation
and
enhance retention rates.
Characteristics
of the
Region
The characteristics
of
this local labour market
of
North
Hertfordshire and Stevenage share much in common with
many areas
in the
South-East. House prices
are
high
(about £100,000
for a
three-bedroomed semi-detached
house
in
June
1990); household disposable income in the
The authors acknowledge the help and support given by other members
of
the
Local Economy Research Unit
at
Hatfield Polytechnic
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