WOMBA Director, Alison Green, writes in People Management, the most read and visited HR media brand in the UK, about how working dads have become the pioneers of gender equality.

As more fathers challenge the status quo of paternity leave policies in a post-pandemic world, they are inadvertently driving change, says Alison.

WOMBA director, Alison Green, contributes to an article in d&i Leaders on how inclusive new working practices are.

The traditional 9 to 5 is fast becoming obsolete, with the past three years seeing a dramatic shift in flexible working practices from flexible hours, hybrid working to the four-day week.

The U.K. government gifted an early Christmas present to millions of workers by proposing a new law that will grant the right to ask for part-time hours or home-working arrangements from the first day of a new job.

Full employment allows employees to choose who they work for

As employment levels reach their highest levels since 1974, companies are looking carefully at risks relating to recruitment and retention. The Office for National Statistics has revealed that full employment has been achieved in 2022 for the first time in Britain – unemployment rate was 3.7% in the first quarter of 2022 – its lowest level for 50 years.

A few weeks after a report from the House of Commons Library concluded that ‘mothers and women from minority ethnic groups were especially (negatively) impacted’ during the pandemic, Jacob Rees Mogg cancels all Whitehall diversity courses, describing them as ‘absurd’. He goes on to say, that only “intelligent, sensible” courses would be offered to officials in future.

As reported by the BBC today on International Women’s Day 2021, if women increased their pension contributions at the start of their careers by 5%, they could close the £100,000 pension gap that currently exists between them and their male peers.

To achieve ‘retirement parity’, Scottish Widows points out there is an alternative. If young women don’t/can’t save the extra 5% during the early parts of their careers, they will need to work an additional 37 years after their male contemporaries have already retired. Hmmm

As reported by the BBC today on International Women’s Day 2021, if women increased their pension contributions at the start of their careers by 5%, they could close the £100,000 pension gap that currently exists between them and their male peers.

To achieve ‘retirement parity’, Scottish Widows points out there is an alternative. If young women don’t/can’t save the extra 5% during the early parts of their careers, they will need to work an additional 37 years after their male contemporaries have already retired. Hmmm

At WOMBA we see first-hand the energy and effort of organisations to become more gender equal. And they’re certainly trying to do things right with a plethora of policies, processes and programmes. From employee resource groups to recruitment shortlists, from flexible working to enhanced shared parental leave.

And the good news is these have translated into some positive change.

These are uncertain, unprecedented and disorientating times. All of these words are over-used, but they do describe the world we’re living in. From our coaching with working parents we’re hearing how they’re feeling overwhelmed. I can relate to this. Some days I feel resilient and “I’ve got this”, only to wake up the next in disbelief at what is now “normal”.

One way of making sense of this emotional rollercoaster is to think about our window of tolerance.

A ‘first’ today – I was interviewed for the Engage for Success radio show.

I shared insights from the coaching work we do at WOMBA to help organisations support their working parents.

There was a parent who had adopted, a mum who had conceived via IVF, a mum who had miscarried, a dad who shares custody, a woman who’d decided not to parent and a mum who’d had an unplanned pregnancy.

What did they all have in common?

The gender pay gap is proving to be very stubborn, even though many employers are making a concerted effort to close it.

When I was researching this issue for our partnership with SheSays on their ShareBaby campaign two facts jumped out.

The first: incredibly, there are still no sectors in the UK economy where women are paid the same as men.

The second was relevant to the creative sector. The median gender pay gap has worsened at more than half of the UK’s advertising and marketing agencies in the last year.

If you’ve taken some time out to have a baby or raise young children, returning to work can be a bouquet of mixed emotions.

On the one hand, it can be hard to leave your little one in the care of others. On the other, it can be exciting to get back to adult conversations and to use skills you took time and effort acquiring in the first place.