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Tag: gender

  • Study reveals work from home gender discrepancy

    The SEO agency Clickslice has found that men and women work from home at different rates, and in different ways. Analysis of ONS data reveals that 8% of men have not worked from home in the past seven days, although their employer allows it, compared to 10% of women choosing the office.

    Not all of this comes down to choice, however – women are more likely to be allowed to work from home than men. Of the 2,850 people surveyed, 34% of the women said that they are not allowed to work from home, whereas 42% of the men said that they had to go to the office. Clickslice CEO Joshua George commented on the difference.

    “It’s interesting to see how gender plays a role in working from home behaviours. While more women are working from home either all or some of the time, more men are choosing to work from home if they have the choice between that or the office,” George says, “Further research shows that Brits are planning to continue working from home. ONS data from February 2022 revealed that 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic said they planned to carry out a mix of working at home and in their place of work in the future.”

    The pandemic opened up new possibilities for those looking to work remotely, and many are taking the opportunity. However, there is a discrepancy between the way that workers and bosses view working from home. Employees generally believe that they are more productive home workers, while bosses are not convinced. George highlights the issue this may raise.

    “Research shows that bosses and workers disagree about productivity when working from home. In a recent survey by Microsoft of over 20,000 people, bosses worry about whether working from home is as productive as being in the office. 87% of workers felt they worked as, or more, efficiently from home, yet 80% of managers disagreed. This discrepancy is something that both business owners and workers should be aware of to ensure that there is no confusion or resentment about where people choose to work,” George says.

    There is no question that a mixture of working from home and going into the office is rapidly becoming more accepted, whether bosses like it or not. Due to the labour shortage, potential employees who are told they cannot work remotely will not have a very hard time finding an employer who will allow it. Therefore, it is more important than ever for businesses to be open-minded and flexible.

  • What Rachael Blackmore’s win means for women in horse racing

    What Rachael Blackmore’s win means for women in horse racing

    Alice Wright

    Rachael Blackmore broke ground to become the first female jockey to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham this week. Blackmore, riding Honeysuckle – trained by Henry de Bromhead and owned by Kenneth Alexander and Heather De Bromhead – led this extraordinarily talented pair to victory. 

    There was plenty of drama, such as when serious contender Abracadabra took a fall at the third fence but was back on his feet straight away, neither he nor young Jockey Jack Kennedy reported any injuries. The drama had no impact on Blackmore who remained calm and level-headed throughout the race, riding with great tact, leading by six and a half lengths on the home strait.  

    It was a good day for gender representation for the horses too. Honeysuckle, the seven year old 16.1 hh mare, became only the sixth mare in history to win this prestigious event.

    Retired champion jockey turned commentator Ruby Walsh said he once doubted a woman could be a champion jockey but said Blackmore “could easily be […] she’s got it all. She has delivered on the biggest stage.” Trainer Henry de Bromhead, who gave Blackmore her kickstart in racing, said the victory was “amazing” and “the stuff you dream of.” 

    Blackmore was ecstatic with the win telling a journalist straight after “it’s incredible, I’m absolutely speechless.” Blackmore has always been frustrated at the very idea of being a ‘female jockey’ as opposed to just a jockey, and on Tuesday maintained that her gender played no part. Blackmore wants to be a great jockey and be treated as such: “it doesn’t matter what you are, we’re jockeys […] it’s just a privilege to be here” she said. 

    Cheltenham Festival is usually estimated to be worth around £100 million to the local economy each year. There are also around 6,000 people employed in running the Festival, including 350 chefs, 350 managers, 500 students. There are also normally around 1,000 members of accredited press there each year and £4.5 million pounds in prize money to be won across the week’s races. Much of the benefit to the local economy was diminished by the crowdless and socially distanced festival this year. Further to this, around £500 million is estimated to be generated from bet-making, but with the thrill of a large crowd’s atmosphere, that figure may be sizably reduced this season.

    Yet, this is a great moment for British racing, and will show young women across the country that they can reach the very top of this sport. Rachael Blackmore and Honeysuckle are the story racing needs in what has been an unprecedentedly difficult year for the industry. The impact of last year’s controversial Cheltenham Festival on racing’s reputation lingers on, as do the fresh blows inflicted by Gordon Elliott. Yet today was a triumph for women, and thus a triumph for racing. 

    Photo credit: Jeff Griffith on Unsplash