RSS feed Scarlet Harris's Archive

Scarlet Harris

Scarlet Harris

Scarlet is the TUC’s Women’s Equality Officer based in the Equality and Employment Rights Department. She joined the organisation in 2009 and works on policy issues such as maternity rights; representation of women in unions; occupational segregation; women in the labour market; equal pay; sex discrimination and family policy.

  • Labour market

    Women, part-time work, and underemployment

    15th May 2012 — Filed under: Labour market

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    While the unemployment figures make the headlines with depressing regularity, what is less well reported is the level of underemployment. TUC analysis out today shows that the number of people who are working part time because they can’t find full time work is rising dramatically.

    While there are still many more women than  men who report that they do not want full time work (854,000 men as opposed to 4,287,000 women at the last count), there has been a notable decrease in the number of women who do not want full time work. This is matched by an increase in women who are working part time because they can’t find a full time job.

    Continue Reading →

  • Equality

    A happy International Women’s Day surprise: Government commits to signing Istanbul Convention on violence against women

    8th March 2012 — Filed under: Equality

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    I got a nice International Women’s Day surprise when I woke this morning to the news that Nick Clegg had announced in a speech in the Hague last night that:

    “On the eve of International Women’s Day, I’d like to express the UK’s support for the principles in the Council of Europe’s Convention on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. A landmark agreement aimed at lifting the standards of protection for women across Europe. We are getting ourselves in a position to sign later this year”

    This is undeniably, unequivocally good news.

    Continue Reading →

  • Equality

    CAHVIO: UK shouldn’t be missing from key convention on violence against women

    25th November 2011 — Filed under: Equality

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Unite to end violence against women

    25 Nov: UN Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

    Today, 25th November, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and it seems a fitting moment to ask the government to reaffirm its commitment to eradicating violence against women with a very tangible, and rather overdue, step. We’ve chosen today to start a petition urging the government to sign up to the Council of Europe convention on combating and preventing violence against women and domestic violence (the convention is known as CAHVIO).

    Now, the UK has a comparatively good track record on initiatives to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) – leaving aside recent retrograde steps such as cuts to local authority funding of refuges and other VAWG services and the disastrous Legal Aid reforms which will leave women fleeing domestic violence with no access to justice unless they can afford to pay. Compared to many parts of the world where violence against women is tolerated or even sanctioned by the state, the UK has taken many steps over the years to attempt to eradicate violence against women and girls.

    Continue Reading →

  • Equality

    The Equality Deficit

    15th November 2011 — Filed under: Equality

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Tomorrow (Wednesday 16th November) the TUC will be holding a one day conference called The Equality Deficit. The conference, which is free and open to all, provides an opportunity for trade unionists, voluntary sector workers, campaigners and community organisers to explore the equality impact of the cuts.

    Importantly, the conference aims to build alliances between the voluntary sector and trade unions. This isn’t about listing the many (and they really are many) ways in which the government’s swingeing cuts programme has disproportionately affected different equality groups. It’s about sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience and identifying campaigning and organising strategies.

    Continue Reading →

  • Labour market

    Women’s unemployment continues to rise

    12th October 2011 — Filed under: Labour market

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Another month, another horrendous set of labour market statistics.

    While men’s unemployment has risen more sharply than women’s this month, it’s still worth taking a quick look at what’s happening to women’s unemployment.

    (spoiler: the answer is “nothing good”)

    Continue Reading →

  • Equality

    What women want

    14th September 2011 — Filed under: Equality

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Leaked government documents this week exposed the coalition’s fear that they are losing the support of women voters. They’re right to be concerned. Gavin Kelly’s excellent analysis in the New Statesman shows that government policy is indeed alienating women voters, particularly working class women.

    So far, so good. Acknowledging that government policies may not be going down well with women is a good starting point. Where the author of the leaked memo starts to go wrong though is when possible remedies are suggested.

    Continue Reading →

  • Labour market

    Where did all the women go?

    14th September 2011 — Filed under: Labour market

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    If today’s labour market statistics are anything to go by, the answer is the dole queue.

    The number of unemployed women and women claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance continues to rise to the highest levels in decades. The long predicted impact of public sector job cuts on women’s employment, is now plain to see.

    The number of women made redundant increased 72.3% on the previous quarter. A statistic so shocking I did a double take and had to call a colleague to check I hadn’t misread it. 

    Continue Reading →

  • Labour market

    Women’s unemployment at 23 year high

    17th August 2011 — Filed under: Labour market

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Contrary to city economists’ optimistic predictions that today’s labour market figures would show a drop in unemployment, it seems that unemployment is stubbornly refusing to fall.

    Women’s unemployment in particular saw a dramatic rise (21,000 on the quarter) taking the women’s ILO unemployment count to 1.05million – its highest level in 23 years.

    Continue Reading →

  • Equality

    Violence Against Women services are “not a luxury”

    2nd August 2011 — Filed under: Equality, Society & Welfare

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Trawling through the 2,200 charities and voluntary organisations facing Local Authority funding cuts listed on the False Economy website and widely reported in the press today, makes for extremely bleak reading.

    After school clubs for kids, Christmas lunches for old people, wheelchair loan services, sexual health advisory services, meals on wheels, support services for disabled children, all axed. Welcome to the Big Society.

    I was particularly taken aback by the number of women’s sector organisations and violence against women and girls (VAWG) services that have faced cuts.

    Continue Reading →

  • Pensions & Investment

    State Pension Age – The next Coalition U-turn?

    20th June 2011 — Filed under: Pensions & Investment

    Scarlet Harris Scarlet Harris

    Sarah Veale and I have blogged here previously on how government proposals to speed up the equalisation of the State Pension Age will affect hundreds of thousands of women approaching retirement.

    In addition to the Rachel Reeves MP campaign mentioned in previous blogs, Age UK have also been campaigning hard on this issue and have now published a report called Not Enough Time which confirms that the proposed changes do not allow women sufficient time to plan. One of the respondents to the Age UK survey said:

    “I have had my pensionable age moved twice now and the financial plans I have made to enable me to retire at 64 are now in tatters. There is simply not enough time for me to make up the shortfall.”

    Continue Reading →