Labour is urging businesses to create ‘inclusive’ job adverts to encourage more diverse pools of applicants into the workplace – in plans dubbed ‘patronising’ and an ‘insult’ to women.
In guidance published yesterday, Labour is urging businesses to remove masculine words from job adverts and develop neutral job titles in a bid to make adverts more appealing to women, and ultimately close the gender pay gap.
Businesses are advised to avoid terms associated with male stereotypes such as ‘competitive’ and ‘dominant’ to develop ‘inclusive’ job descriptions.
Government is also encouraging businesses to use ‘gendered language bias tools’ to verify that ‘language is neutral’ and to apply a ‘standard inclusive language checklist’ to every draft of a job advert.
This comes as the Women and Equalities minister has said too many female employees are still facing unfair pay and having their health needs dismissed.
In an announcement yesterday, the government said that firms with 250 or more employees will have the option to publish a voluntary ‘action plan’ alongside their gender pay gap data.
This would see businesses setting out how they will increase transparency for promotion, pay and rewards, build diversity into their company and set targets to improve gender representation.
Businesses will then be forced by the government to publish these action plans from spring 2027 – threatening to heap yet more burden on the private sector.
Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said yesterday: ‘We’re acting to empower women at work and work with business so we all benefit from unleashing women’s talents’
Shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho said of the plans: ‘None of this actually solves any problems.’
Announcing the changes on Wednesday, Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said the government was aiming to ‘empower women at work’ by encouraging businesses to set out what they are doing to reduce their gender pay gap and support employees going through the menopause.
Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day, Ms Phillipson said: ‘Too many women are still not paid fairly, held back at work due to inconsistencies in support or find common sense adjustments for their health needs overlooked or dismissed.
‘We’re acting to empower women at work and work with business so we all benefit from unleashing women’s talents.’
She added the government will work alongside firms to ‘share best practice and motivate others to follow their lead voluntarily’.
But shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho yesterday lashed out at government’s plans, saying that businesses ‘should be able to create their own workplace culture’.
She wrote on X: ‘Some might suit highly sociable types, or self-starters, or deep thinkers. The point is that there should be lots of jobs and businesses, so people can find the right one for them. Labour is killing those jobs.’
Ms Coutinho added: ‘None of this actually solves any problems.
‘It doesn’t make it easier for new mums to return to work, or help older workers retrain, or get people from working class backgrounds into the arts.
‘It is poorly evidenced busy-work to justify some diversity officer’s job.’
The changes also come amid a three-year low for business confidence – with Labour’s ‘crushing tax burden’ and workers’ rights laws taking their toll.
And in addressing the gender pay gap – the difference between the average pay of men and women in an organisation – the government suggested firms will now be required to set out how they will increase transparency for promotion, pay and rewards, build diversity into their company and set targets to improve gender representation.
In the online guidance, businesses are encouraged to use ‘open language’ to attract more potential recruits – such as ‘familiarity with’ or ‘if you have any combination of these skills’.
They are also advised to remove phrases that might deter applicants, such as asking people to explain gaps in CVs.
Plans could also include ensuring managers are trained to support employees experiencing menopause, offering them tailored occupational health advice and tailored workplace adjustments, and carrying out menopause risk assessments for the workplace.
Penny East, chief executive at the Fawcett Society, said large employers ‘must not simply publish data’ but now ‘take action to improve workplace cultures and practices’.
She added: ‘Over the next year, while the plans remain voluntary, we will continue to work with government to ensure the final compulsory framework includes stronger pay transparency measures and clear accountability.’
But the equalities minister insisted government would ‘always be mindful of the responsibilities that businesses have’ when pressed on whether mandatory action plans would pile yet further burden on struggling British businesses.
She added that going through the menopause ‘shouldn’t be a struggle’.
‘I’ve heard from so many women that they’ve not had the support they’ve needed when they’re going through the menopause. Of course, it’s a natural part of life, but it shouldn’t be a struggle for women.
‘And often small changes that employers can make make a huge difference to women feeling support at work, but also staying in work.
‘Because sadly, sometimes women feel they have no option other than to move away from paid work because of either menopause or other mental health conditions.’
Government menopause employment ambassador Mariella Frostrup said that menopause ‘affects millions of women at the height of their careers; which is detrimental to the economy, businesses and the talented women’ and that ‘no woman should have to leave a job she loves because of a natural stage of life’.
