Karen Escott

Young women on the margins of the labour market

This article examines worklessness among young women living in 10 disadvantaged communities across England. The data shows that despite dynamic economic circumstances and New Labour’s work incentives, responses to the employment aspirations of many young women were inadequate. In addition to the influence of social characteristics such as ethnicity and qualifications in determining employment rates, experiences of discrimination, poor health and caring responsibilities affect many young women. Neighbourhood variations in the reasons for worklessness, even among highly employable young women, suggest that the multiple issues affecting disadvantaged groups are also influenced by local job markets. Occupational segregation and clustering into particular industries are added constraints for young women which are largely ignored in welfare policies seeking to address youth unemployment.

Improving employment and women's well‐being in regeneration programmes

Purpose – How does womens labour market disconnection impact on health and well‐being? The paper seeks to explain how economic isolation can cause low self esteem for women. Neighbourhood analysis provides the opportunity to explore some of the operational contradictions in public policy and how they are experienced in regeneration areas.Design/methodology/approach – Local dynamics of employment and health are examined in neighbourhoods in two UK cities. The research draws on focus group data involving local women as well as interviews with representatives of statutory and voluntary organisations. Examination of relevant statistical data supports the evidence base on womens well‐being in these regeneration areas.Findings – By analysing labour market characteristics and local womens experiences, depression and low esteem in relation to low incomes, barriers to employment and discrimination emerge as particularly important aspects of well‐being. The paper suggests that policy makers often fail to make th...

Tackling gender inequality: linking research to policy making and mainstreaming

This contribution focuses on the process of developing a gender perspective in public policy that values and enhances women’s skills, experience and qualifications in the labour market. It reports policy-focused work in progress within an ESF supported research programme examining Gender and Employment in Local Labour Markets (GELLM) across England. The paper describes the method adopted for this policy-focused research, and its application in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (one of the participating authorities, in the West Midlands region).