Ethnic minority women face far more of a struggle when it comes to finding work and are more likely to take a job where they are overqualified than white women.
This was the findings of a report recently released by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The report revealed that Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who are aged under 35 are about three to four times more likely to be unemployed compared to their white contemporaries. Meanwhile, black Caribbean females are twice as likely to be unemployed.
The figures are more alarming for ethnic minority women graduates. Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who are university graduates are five times more likely to continue looking for places of employment compared to white women university graduates. Black Caribbean women, on the other hand, are three times more likely to remain unemployed.
The report also showed that ethnic minority women who are looking for work are four times more likely to accept a position that is at a lower level than what they are really qualified for.
The EOC blames the prevailing atmosphere of more rampant sex discrimination against women who come from ethnic minorities. Another factor could be because Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, being muslims, are also being discriminated against because of their religion and their religion-dictated way of dressing.
Company formation and business solutions experts are warning employers that discrimination is bad business practice and such acts may eventually hurt their businesses in terms of public perception.
The EOC is going to launch an investigation into the difficulties being experienced by ethnic minority women.