Women in social care facing ‘persistent barriers’ to progress, warns Care England

Women working in adult social care are facing ‘persistent barriers’ progressing to leadership and board-level positions, a report has revealed.

A new report by Care England has shown that, while women make up 78% of the adult social care workforce, they hold only 41% of board-level positions.

The research was informed by 12 interviews with senior women leaders and a survey completed by 157 respondents.

In the report, titled The Overlooked Majority, it was found that over half of the respondents (64%) cited gendered barriers as a key issue they faced while progressing in their career, including unpaid caring responsibilities, a lack of mentorship and sponsorship, and bias and discrimination.

A lack of flexible working arrangements was also cited as a key issue, with respondents stating ‘society is structured in a way that these constraints disproportionately disadvantage women’.

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Just under half (45%) of respondents identified themselves as undertaking unpaid caring responsibilities which they said ‘contrast’ with male colleagues whose experiences were different.

One respondent said: ‘Childcare affecting commitment to work where male managers don’t seem to experience that are seen as more dedicated or have better attendance.’

Another added: ‘I believe my need to care for my children has impacted opinion of me.’

Nearly all respondents (97%) in executive roles think there are insufficient executive policies to address gender inequality.

When asked what could be improved, respondents stated affordable childcare, equal pay, flexible working for all employees and increased public awareness.

Now, Care England has called on care providers to introduce 360-degree appraisals, improve access to leadership and development opportunities, actively embed workplace policies into culture change, and better recognise the burden of unpaid caring responsibilities.

At a national level, the report has recommended that the government seek to improve access to affordable childcare, introduce stronger equal pay and pay transparency requirements, support the creation of a national mentoring platform for women in adult social care, promote menopause strategies and gender pay gap action plans across employers, and invest in further gender inequality research.

Care England’s policy board member Dr Olivia Curno said: ‘For too long, social care has depended on the dedication of women while failing to properly value the work itself.

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‘This report challenges us to rethink care not as invisible labour, but as skilled, essential work deserving of recognition, investment and ambition.

‘This report moves beyond identifying inequalities and instead asks us to confront the structures and assumptions that sustain them. This report looks for solutions.

‘Across the sector, there are organisations already demonstrating what change looks like, and while these examples will not solve the problems by themselves, they show that progress is possible, practical and profitable.

‘But responsibility for change must be shared; the government must address the structural barriers against women through national policy.’

Chief executive of Care England Professor Martin Green added: ‘Women are the backbone of adult social care, yet too many continue to face barriers that limit their progression and leadership opportunities.

‘This report highlights a challenge that is too often hidden in plain sight and asks us to confront some uncomfortable truths about how we value care and the people who deliver it.

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‘If we are serious about building a sustainable future for social care, we must ensure women have every opportunity to progress, lead and shape the future of a sector they have done so much to build.

‘Women should not make up the majority of the workforce while remaining underrepresented in the rooms where decisions are made.

‘It is time to remove the barriers that hold women back and create more opportunities for them to lead, progress and thrive at every level of the sector.’