Women take
career breaks for a number of reasons, most commonly to care for family members.
For many, taking a career break may be an economically smart decision due to soaring
childcare costs, stagnant salaries and government cuts to tax credits and
benefits. Returning to work straight after having a child has, for some, been
branded as ‘pay-neutral work’, whereby the costs of childcare and travel
consume an entire salary and leave many women essentially working for free.
However, the
very nature of a career break is temporary and PwC
claim that 76% of women on career breaks want to return to work, but face
significant barriers in doing so. A primary reason for this is the growing discourse
around ‘gaps in CV’, which tends to be extremely negative encouraging job-seekers
to come up with an explanation to justify their time off work and assuming a deterioration
in skills.
Research has
shown that businesses are more likely to hire an under-qualified worker than
somebody who has taken a career break. This is not only an injustice to women who
have taken career breaks, but an underutilisation by businesses who are refusing
experienced and talented female workers.
Having been in
employment her entire life, Angela Clark took a four-year career break following
a life-changing illness in her immediate family. For Angela, a big part of our
identity is our professional status: “I
didn’t realise I relied so much on my career to define myself until I suddenly didn’t
have one.”
Angela said: “when the worst happened, I started making
moves towards returning to work. I upped my volunteering and re-working my
skills, but predominantly I tried to rebuild my confidence.”
 |
| Angela Clark, Finance Officer at The Women's Organisation |
Angela applied
for a Finance Officer position at The Women’s Organisation after encouragement
from a friend and began working here two weeks later. Angela stated: “It wasn’t easy, workplace practices don’t
come back overnight. However, there were so many positives; regaining financial
independence, having such supportive colleagues and feeling like ‘me’ again.”
We think it is time for businesses to step up and take action. PwC claim that addressing the career break penalty experienced by professional women could deliver an annual earnings boost of £1.1 billion and additional economic output of £1.7 billion. Recruiters and employers need to work on addressing the negative bias towards career breaks and rethink how they can measure the skills and ability of job applicants.
We think it is time for businesses to step up and take action. PwC claim that addressing the career break penalty experienced by professional women could deliver an annual earnings boost of £1.1 billion and additional economic output of £1.7 billion. Recruiters and employers need to work on addressing the negative bias towards career breaks and rethink how they can measure the skills and ability of job applicants.
Hiring
experienced women following a career break can be a fast track for helping
businesses to integrate female role models and leaders into their workforce and
improve the level of diversity within senior positions. Women returning to work
are hungry to get their career back on track and consequently, highly motivated
women with talent and experience.
Talented women
are perfectly capable of returning to the demanding corporate environments and
readjusting to workplace practices. We need to redefine the discourse around
career breaks and transform employer perceptions – only then will we reap the
astronomical economic benefits of utilising women returning to work.
Reflecting on
her experience as a woman returning to work, Angela said: “stepping away from the work force is sometimes necessary, but not
always final. Your skills may go slightly rusty, but they can ALWAYS be
reshined!”
Thanks to our
Finance Officer, Angela Clark, for contributing to this blog piece.
PwC report: https://www.pwc.co.uk/economic-services/women-returners/pwc-research-women-returners-nov-2016.pdf
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