Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact

Status: Closed Opened: 9 Jun 2020 Closed: 4 Nov 2021 25 recommendations 12 conclusions 1 report

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 to look in more detail … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered … HC 385 9 Feb 2021 37 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
2 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 its response to this Report. We believe this approach would … Read more

Government response AI summary
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 …
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Government Equalities Office
8 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 AI summary
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.
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Government Equalities Office
11 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 AI summary
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.
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Government Equalities Office
24 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 with Government support, the significant drop off in private fees … Read more

Government response AI summary
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 …
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Government Equalities Office
30 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 compound disadvantage. Read more

Government response AI summary
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.
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Government Equalities Office
32 Recommendation Fifth report: Unequal impact? Coronavir… Accepted in Part

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 AI summary
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.
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Government Equalities Office

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
4 Nov 2020 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 View ↗
14 Oct 2020 Dr Duncan Brown · Institute of Employment Studies, Dr Monica Costas Dias · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Professor Jill Rubery · University of Manchester View ↗
16 Sep 2020 Liz Bayram · Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), Mary Robertson · Trades Union Congress, Victoria Brownlie · The British Beauty Council View ↗
8 Jul 2020 Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson · UK Women's Budget Group, Professor Abi Adams-Prassl · University of Oxford, Rosalind Bragg · Maternity Action, Victoria Benson · Gingerbread View ↗

Who gave evidence

17 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Dr Duncan Brown · Principal Associate Institute of Employment Studies 1
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson · Director UK Women's Budget Group 1
Dr Monica Costas Dias · Deputy Research Director Institute for Fiscal Studies 1
Helen Walker · Deputy Director Department of Work and Pensions 1
Jo Warner · Deputy Director Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1
Kemi Badenoch MP Government Equalities Office 1
Liz Bayram · Chief Executive Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) 1
Mary Robertson · Senior Policy Officer Trades Union Congress 1
Mims Davies MP · Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister … Department for Work and Pensions 1
Paul Scully MP · Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour… Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1
Paul Trenell · Head of Analysis and Gender Equality Government Equalities Office 1
Professor Abi Adams-Prassl · Senior Research Fellow University of Oxford 1
Professor Jill Rubery · Professor of Comparative Employment Systems University of Manchester 1
Rosalind Bragg · Director Maternity Action 1
Tom Hemingway · Deputy Director HM Treasury 1
Victoria Benson · CEO Gingerbread 1
Victoria Brownlie · Chief Policy and Sustainability Officer The British Beauty Council 1

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
27 Apr 2021 EHRC response to the Committees report ‘Unequal Impact? Coronavirus and the gen…