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GOVERNMENT EQUALITIES OFFICE

The routes to power of ethnic minority women

Ethnic minority women are under-represented in positions of power and senior decision-making authority. This is true across the public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as in politics. The specific reasons for this under-representation are not well understood beyond generalisations about all women or all people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Importantly, the experiences and insights of those ethnic minority women who have managed to negotiate their way to the top are rarely heard.

ETHNOS was commissioned to provide a better understanding of the reasons why ethnic minority women are under-represented in positions of power, by exploring the experiences of ethnic minority women who have succeeded in making their way to the top. We interviewed some of the most senior ethnic minority women in Britain and explored in depth with them: the motivations behind their achievements; the educational and professional trajectories they followed; the barriers and challenges they met along the way; the strategies they employed to overcome and handle these; the added value they bring to organisations; and their suggestions on how to support more ethnic minority women into senior decision-making roles.

Full research report

GOVERNMENT EQUALITIES OFFICE

Increasing the representation of ethnic minority women in local councils

ETHNOS conducted focus groups with ethnic minority women councilors from different ethnic minority communities (Black Caribbean, Brazilian, Indian, Pakistani and Turkish), as well as different political parties (Conservative, Green, Labour, and Liberal Democrat) to provide detailed perspectives on the experiences of some current ethnic minority women councilors, with a view to providing targeted and tailored support for ethnic minority to become local councillors.

As a result, the Government Equalities Office launched a cross-party Taskforce to consider practical ways to increase awareness through outreach activities; build confidence and skills; encourage more BAME women to step forward to become local councillors; improve the culture of political parties; and reduce disadvantage and stereotyping from within and outside the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The Taskforce brings together a range of partners: Local Government Association, local authorities, I&DEA, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trade Union Congress, Fawcett Society, Operation Black Vote, Electoral Reform Society and the Women’s National Commission.

FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY

Financial capability among minority ethnic communities

The FSA planned to undertake the first-ever national survey of people’s financial capability. Financial capability concerns people’s day-to-day budget management skills, their understanding and use of financial products, their ability to seek and use advice and information appropriately, and their ability to plan ahead and make provisions for the future. The FSA developed a survey instrument and asked ETHNOS to test the instrument to ensure that it would not unwittingly “downgrade” the financial capability of people from minority ethnic backgrounds. To test the questionnaire, we carried out interviews with experts on financial capability amongst ethnic and faith communities, as well as “think aloud protocols” and post-completion interviews with lay people from various ethnic minority backgrounds. The research highlighted a range of factors which make ethnic minority households either less, more or simply differently financially capable compared to their White counterparts. The study led to recommendations in relation to survey design, fieldwork management, and data analysis and interpretation. The baseline survey has now been completed by 5000 people.

LONDON BOROUGH OF NEWHAM

Evaluation of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund employment-related projects

This evaluation looked at four from a total of 17 NRF-funded employment schemes in Newham. Using a qualitative methodology, it compared the experiences and outcomes of a control group of workless respondents with those of a group of respondents participating in one of four different NRF schemes (Kennedy Scott, Groundwork, First Call and ELITE). Respondents were interviewed in three different waves during 2007 and 2008. The study identified the main reasons for worklessness among participants, their motivation for joining the schemes, the difficulties they encountered in joining the schemes, their overall satisfaction with the schemes, and the unmet needs they still had on completion of the scheme. The evaluation examined the expectations and the outcomes of the schemes for beneficiaries, using a number of indicators, such as the number of participants in employment at the end of wave 3, and performance on indices of mental health and social capital.

INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (I&DEA)

Ethnic minority career progression and leadership development in local government

The I&DeA supports improvement and innovation in local government. As part of their effort to promote equality and diversity among local authorities, they commissioned ETHNOS to provide an overview of BAME career progression and leadership development in local government. Through a combination of primary and secondary research, ETHNOS identified that, despite some progress in the overall representation of BAME staff in local government over recent years, BAME under-representation in local authorities is acute:

• BAME people make up 11.8% of the population in England but only 6.5% of LA staff
• BAME under-representation is found in all types of local authorities, although London boroughs have a more diverse workforce and have made
the most progress on diversity and equality
• all BAME communities are under-represented, although the problem is more severe for Asian people in London and for Black people outside
London
• BAME under-representation is especially severe in the higher echelons of local government, in strategic posts and across generic corporate
functions. It is also severe in some service areas, such as Planning, Building Valuation or Environmental Services, for instance.

ENVIROWISE

Support for businesses in the adoption of environmentally sound practices

Envirowise is a government-funded programme which offers UK businesses free, independent and confidential advice on practical ways to increase profits, minimise waste and reduce environmental impact. Envirowise wanted to ensure that ethnic minority-owned and managed businesses would not miss out on their advice and guidance. They commissioned ETHNOS to help develop a strategy to reach the minority ethnic business community.

We profiled the ethnic minority business sector in the UK, identified relevant business support organisations and explored the factors that explain the low uptake of environmental advice and support services by ethnic minority businesses. The study found that the disproportionate location of ethnic minority businesses in the micro and small size enterprises and in the service industries, lack of familiarity with agencies providing environmental advice and support, some distrust of outside agencies, lack of capacity (time and skills) to deal with environmental issues, limited awareness and understanding of environmental issues at work, perceptions that they produced very little waste, acceptance of waste as a necessary part of business activity, and a view that environmental issues are not a business priority and that environmentally sound practices could jeopardise business interests all contributed to explain the low uptake of environmental advice amongst minority ethnic businesses.

ETHNOS and Envirowise jointly ran workshops with business support organisations to help devise a targeted outreach and communications strategy for ethnic minority businesses. This included, amongst others, a media campaign for selected ethnic, trade and professional journals; publications and tool kits for people with identified waste problems; free site visits and environmental audits of larger businesses; and the use of ethnic minority business “case studies” and “champions” to promote Envirowise.

HOME OFFICE

Views and attitudes of minority ethnic staff at the Home Office

The Home Office was keen to understand the needs and experiences of its minority ethnic staff. It commissioned ETHNOS to assess the views and experiences of black and Asian staff towards the Home Office. We conducted a postal survey of over 2000 black and Asian staff who are members of a support network for staff from minority ethnic backgrounds. The survey gathered views on such matters as:

• work satisfaction
• career development and progression
• diversity, discrimination and racism in the workplace
• the role of the ethnic minority support network
• communications within the organisation