Dear Friend,

We’re in the final two days of our Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund campaign, and now, more than ever, we need your support to continue driving change for women across the UK.

Last week, the government published its Employment Rights Bill—and we’re proud to say that after years of feminist campaigning, many of Fawcett’s key demands were included. This is a massive victory for women’s rights, and here’s what it means:

• Equalities action plans focused on reducing the gender pay gap, large employers will now need to show how they plan to close the gap and support women through the menopause.

• Ending sexual harassment at work. Fawcett’s campaign to end sexual harassment in the workplace resulted in the Worker Protection Act last year, creating  a duty on employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment. The Employment Rights Bill removes the compromises we were forced to make during the passage of that bill, as well as strengthening protections for whistle-blowers.

• Flexible working as the default. The Bill makes it harder for employers to reject flexible working requests—a huge step toward recognising that flexible request doesn't equal less capable, and that balancing work with other commitments should not limit ambition or career opportunities.

• Better job security for women. Bans on zero hours contracts, and day one rights to sick pay will benefit women who are more likely to work in low paid and insecure work. The government is also bringing forward its commitment to prevent employers from firing pregnant women and new mothers from notification of pregnancy until six months after return to work.

• Enforcement of Equality Action Plans – and making sure that they also include company policies on flexible working, parental support policies, and pay bands so that everyone can see these before applying for a job
• A duty on firms to advertise job flexibility, alongside support to help them design jobs flexibly and enforcement to ensure that they do not artificially restrict the number of flexible jobs.
• Ensuring the review of parental leave results in more fathers taking leave, through properly paid leave for both parents and a ‘use it or lose it’ allocation for fathers / non birthing parents.

Read more about our analysis here: Fawcett Celebrates Draft Employment Rights Bill

Share Our Campaign:
Spread the word. Let friends, family, and your networks know about this opportunity to support women’s rights. Sharing one of our social posts could make a huge difference in raising awareness and helping us hit our target.

Let’s keep the momentum going - your support has never been more important.

With gratitude,

The Fawcett Society Team