Caring roles block career progression for three in five women

A poll has revealed that three out of five women say their caring responsibilities are preventing them from applying for a new job or promotion, while only one in five men say the same.

According to Business in the Community, the research shows that nearly half the caring workforce are combining paid work and care. Almost three in 10 adults have left or considered leaving a job because of difficulties in balancing work and care. The latter was particularly true of women.

The majority of those with care responsibilities in the UK are parents looking after children under the age of 18, but more than a third of carers are responsible for an adult of working age or older.

Business in the Community says that those from a black, Asian, mixed race or other ethnically diverse background were significantly more likely to say they have caring responsibilities than those from a white background. Of concern, half of carers from an ethnic minority say their caring responsibilities are holding them back from applying for promotions or new positions at work, compared to 39 per cent of white carers.

The charity wants the government and employers to offer new fathers more ring-fenced, paid time off to look after their children when they are born, so that childcare responsibilities can be shared more equally between couples from the start of a child’s life.