Pressing for Progress: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality In 2018 - Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) Full Report

This report (downloadable below) looks at the state of women's rights in Great Britain in 2018.

It assesses the progress on women's rights since 2013 and makes recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments, in areas including:

• enhancing the status of international human rights in domestic law
• gender-based violence, harassment and abuse
• participation in political and civic life
• access to civil justice
• human trafficking and modern slavery
• detention and asylum
• health, living standards and social security
• work and education

The report has been submitted to the United Nations as part of the Equality and Human Rights Commissions work on monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the international human rights treaty that focuses specifically on equality between women and men in all areas of life.

Here is what the report said about womes pensions and benefits:

Welfare and tax policy changes made between May 2010 and January 2018 have had a disproportionate adverse impact on women’s, especially ethnic minority women’s, rights to an adequate standard of living and social security.

Our analysis found that in the year 2022, women overall on average stand to lose just under £400 per year from the reforms, whereas men would lose only around £30.

Lone parents, 90% of whom are women, stand to lose the equivalent of up to 25% of their net income.82 ‘Confusion about eligibility for healthcare could ‘Lone parents, 90% of whom are women, stand to impact on health.’ delay access to treatment and have a detrimental lose the equivalent of up to 25% of their net income’

Adequate standard of living and social security 10 Universal Credit was introduced by the UK Government in October 2013, with the stated aim of simplifying the benefits system through consolidating the payments of several benefits into a single payment, which is paid jointly to couples. However, this causes serious concern for women’s economic independence, particularly in situations of domestic abuse.

Other changes to social security entitlements include the introduction of a benefit cap, which particularly affects lone parents, and the two-child tax credit limit, because of which households in Wales and England with three or more children will lose at least £900 per year on average by 2021/22.84 Under the Pensions Act 1995, the state pension age (SPA) for women was to gradually rise to 65 by 2020 to bring it in line with the then current SPA for men.

Subsequent legislation has accelerated these changes and raised the equalised SPA to 66 by October 2020 and 67 by 2028. Some women’s SPA is now several years later than planned for, which may have a significant detrimental impact on their financial wellbeing.

Disabled women, carers and ethnic minority women are likely to be particularly affected.

However, the UK Government has consistently rejected calls to change the equalisation timetable or to provide any financial compensation.

According to the homelessness charity Crisis, in 2017 an estimated 236,000 individuals in GB were homeless, an increase of 33% since 2011.

Evidence suggests that women sleeping rough may be particularly vulnerable. Moreover, in 2013, the UK Government introduced the ‘spare room subsidy’, when tenants have their housing benefits reduced if they have spare bedrooms.

The Supreme Court found in 2016 that this discriminated against disabled people but dismissed the claim of a woman survivor of domestic violence who had a ‘safe room’ in her home.

 The case was appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in January 2018. The lack of residential and transit accommodation across GB routinely affects Gypsy and Traveller women’s right to an adequate standard of living.

ABC Note: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the international human rights treaty that focuses specifically on equality between women and men in all areas of life. It is often referred to as the ‘women’s bill of rights’. The UK ratified CEDAW in 1986.By ratifying the treaty, the UK is committed to taking steps to end discrimination against women in all forms. CEDAW provides the basis for making equality between women and men a reality.

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