Pakistani and Bangladeshi Women’s Labour Market Participation

It is well established that Pakistani and Bangladeshi women generally have lower rates of economic activity and higher rates of unemployment compared to other minority ethnic groups and also White women. For example, in 2001-5, levels of economic activity for women aged 19-60 (excluding full-time students) were 31 % for Pakistani women and 21 % for Bangladeshi women, by comparison with 78% for Black Caribbean women and 77 % for White women. Although levels of economic activity are low, unemployment is also high amongst the economically active – 15 % for Pakistani and 16 % for Bangladeshi women in 2001-5 by comparison with 3.4 % for White women for the same time period. The Equal Opportunities Commission has identified!five employment gaps " which affect Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women: 1) participation; 2) unemployment; 3) progression;#4) pay, and; 5) occupational segregation. In this paper we will focus on Pakistani and Bangladeshi women to address the first two of these issues – and also provide some insights into the others. We use a combination of national survey data and qualitative interviews. www.ccsr.ac.uk