HC Deb 25 March 2004 vol 419 cc1055-6
22. Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle) (Lab)

What steps she is taking to encourage more Muslim women to enter the labour market. [163454]

The Minister for Women and Equality (Ms Patricia Hewitt)

We are helping all women, including women in Muslim communities, to enter and remain in employment—whether part-time or full-time. Increased maternity rights, new rights for working parents, better child care, the working tax credit and the new deals for lone parents and partners, together with our economic policy, have all helped to ensure that we have more women, as well as more men, in employment than ever before.

Mr. Prentice

But does my right hon. Friend share my concern that only 17 per cent. of British Bangladeshi women aged between 16 and 59 are in the labour market and that only 24 per cent. of British Pakistani women are in employment, compared with 71 per cent. of white women? When shall we see a narrowing of the gap, so that there is the same participation among parts of our ethnic minority communities as in the white community?

Ms Hewitt

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point and I share his concern about the many factors, which include, in some cases, cultural attitudes and in other cases language difficulties, that keep so many Pakistani and Bangladeshi women out of employment when they would like to be in employment—society as a whole would benefit from that. I have recently discussed that issue with a group of women from Muslim communities whom I meet regularly, and I am glad that the Womens National Commission will be holding its first meeting next week with women leaders from different Muslim communities to discuss those and other difficulties that face those groups.