Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact

Women and Equalities Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Jun 2020 Closed: 4 Nov 2021 Parliament page
Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact The Women and Equalities Committee is launching three sub-inquiries, drawing on evidence to our Unequal impact: Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the impact on people with protected characteristics inquiry. Read more about our decision to launch the sub-inquires . In this sub-inquiry, we want … Read more
25 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
1 Letter
4 Events
Activity timeline 7 events
14 May
2021
Report published
27 Apr
2021
Correspondence
9 Feb
2021
Report published
4 Nov
2020
Oral evidence
14 Oct
2020
Oral evidence
16 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
8 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
4 Nov 2020
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Helen Walker · Department of Work and Pensions Jo Warner · Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kemi Badenoch MP · Government Equalities Office Mims Davies MP · Department for Work and Pensions Paul Scully MP · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Paul Trenell · Government Equalities Office Tom Hemingway · HM Treasury
14 Oct 2020
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Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact
Dr Duncan Brown · Institute of Employment Studies Dr Monica Costas Dias · Institute for Fiscal Studies Professor Jill Rubery · University of Manchester
16 Sep 2020
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Liz Bayram · Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) Mary Robertson · Trades Union Congress Victoria Brownlie · The British Beauty Council
8 Jul 2020
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Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson · UK Women's Budget Group Professor Abi Adams-Prassl · University of Oxford Rosalind Bragg · Maternity Action Victoria Benson · Gingerbread
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered econo… HC 385 9 Feb 2021 37 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We recommend that schemes to support employees and the self-employed should be informed by an...
We recommend that schemes to support employees and the self-employed should be informed by an Equality Impact Assessment, drawing on evidence of existing inequalities. The Government must conduct and publish Equality Impact Assessments of the CJRS and the SEISS alongside … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation, agreeing that policies should be informed by evidence on inequalities and stating that advice to Ministers already includes such analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. However, it explicitly rejects the call to conduct and publish Equality Impact Assessments for CJRS and SEISS, citing the need for confidential policy advice.
Government Equalities Office
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8 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
The Government should publish the draft Employment Bill by the end of June 2021.
The Government should publish the draft Employment Bill by the end of June 2021. The draft Bill must take into account the recommendations made throughout this report. (Paragraph 31) Benefits and Social Security
Government Response
The government partially accepted the recommendation, committing to bringing forward an Employment Bill when parliamentary time allows (deferring the deadline) and considering the report's recommendations as part of the reforms.
Government Equalities Office
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11 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We recommend the Department for Work and Pensions commit to maintaining the increases in support...
We recommend the Department for Work and Pensions commit to maintaining the increases in support that have been provided during the pandemic until the end of the pandemic, including the £20 increase in standard allowance for Universal Credit.
Government Response
The government accepted in part, committing to maintain the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit for a further six months, and providing a one-off £500 payment for Working Tax Credits claimants.
Government Equalities Office
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24 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
Given this backdrop, many childcare providers were vulnerable to the economic turmoil generated by the...
Given this backdrop, many childcare providers were vulnerable to the economic turmoil generated by the pandemic. The Government’s financial support for the sector has not been sufficiently generous nor has it been targeted to the specific needs of providers. Even … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights over £3.5 billion annually for early education entitlements, a £44 million investment for 2021-22 for childcare providers, a pledged £1 billion fund, and a £220 million Holiday Activities and Food Programme. It states it is continuing to work with the early years sector to ensure sufficient safe and affordable childcare in the short and long term.
Government Equalities Office
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30 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We recommend the Government require all departments to collect and publish data disaggregated by sex...
We recommend the Government require all departments to collect and publish data disaggregated by sex and protected characteristics in a way that facilitates reporting and analysis on how, for example, gender, ethnicity, disability, age and socio-economic status interact, and can … Read more
Government Response
The Government outlined its Equality Data Programme and ONS Inclusive Data Taskforce to improve data collection and understanding. It also committed to requiring departments to publish specific and measurable equality objectives in their Outcome Delivery Plans.
Government Equalities Office
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32 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coro…
We recommend that gender pay gap reporting be urgently reinstated, with reporting for the financial...
We recommend that gender pay gap reporting be urgently reinstated, with reporting for the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21 required in April 2021.
Government Response
The government partially accepted, stating that gender pay gap reporting was never legally suspended but enforcement was. The EHRC extended the 2020/21 reporting deadline to October 2021, rather than the recommended April 2021.
Government Equalities Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 37 of 25 classified
Accepted 7
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 7
Rejected 13
Total 25 recs + 12 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
27 Apr 2021 EHRC response to the Committees report ‘Unequal Impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact’
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