Gender Matters 2022

Posted on by Lara PecisValerie SteadMelanie Wilkes

women sitting at desk

Gender Matters 2022 - a collaboration between the Academy for Gender, Work and Leadership at Lancaster University Management School, the Work Foundation and Diversity UK - that tracks inclusion challenges in UK organisations and the world of work. The research looks at the gender pay gap, the leadership pipeline, and managing personal and professional lives.

The 2022 report found:

  • Inequalities in the labour market between women and men persist across participation, insecurity and pay.
  • Women’s progression into leadership roles continues to be slow with limited evidence of advancement during the Covid-19 pandemic. Black and minority ethnic women are those most negatively affected.
  • The pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities between women and men. This has affected almost all areas of life, rolling back on the hard-won achievements of past years. The figures show that lockdowns had significant impact on unpaid care and work-life balance.

Mel Wilkes, Head of Research at the Work Foundation, was an author on Gender Matters 2022 and commented:

“We’re living in extremely challenging times and it’s clear that women in low paid, insecure jobs are at the very sharp end of these pressures. Our new analysis drawing on the UK Insecure Work Index, shows that working women are 1.8 times more likely to be in severely insecure work than men. Mothers are hit hardest: those with children under nine are nearly three times more likely than fathers to experience insecure work.

“The gender insecurity gap can help us understand why, despite concerted efforts, steady increases in women joining the labour market hasn’t translated to equality in pay or progression. A blinkered approach focusing only on progression and seats at the top table will only get us so far – to drive meaningful change and to achieve true equality for women, it’s clear we need to tackle labour market insecurity.”

Event recording

On 17 November 2022, the Academy for Gender, Work and Leadership at Lancaster University, the Work Foundation and Diversity UK hosted an event to explore research findings on gender gaps on pay, insecurity and representation and discuss potential solutions for government and organisations across the UK.

View the event here

Related Reports

Back to report listing