A Greater London Assembly report on barriers to work for Bangladeshi and Pakistani women draws on a project that was co-led by Domiziana Turcatti.
Too often, cultural factors are overstated as an explanation for economic inactivity, rather than recognising structural issues such as employer bias, discrimination, and the lack of inclusive workplace policies.
GLA report
Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in London face intersecting barriers to finding good work, including racism, religious and gender discrimination and limited workplace flexibility – and cultural norms, while they may influence their employment experiences, are not the main reason, according to new participatory research for the Greater London Authority.
The research was co-led by Dr Domiziana Turcatti [2018] and Dr Katharine Stockland from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and involved seven community researchers with lived experience of the issues.
The report based on the research, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in good work: Barriers to entry and progression, finds that Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in London face multiple, overlapping barriers to good work due in part to a lack of access to professional social networks and role models and the inability to get and pay for further training, qualifications, unpaid internships and work experience.
Many women also struggle to find high-quality career advice and mentorship. Negative experiences with Jobcentre Plus and a lack of tailored employment support compound their difficulties in finding secure work.
The report also finds additional challenges for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who migrated to London as adults faces, including language, skills, and unrecognised qualifications. These are shaped by women’s education, socioeconomic status, and migration experiences. Visa restrictions and uncertainty with employer-sponsored visas are key concerns, as they limit women’s ability to work or progress in their careers.
Some women lack confidence in using English in professional contexts and digital skills, making online job applications and career progression difficult. Translating qualifications and work experience from home countries to the UK job market is also a key challenge.
Other barriers include racism and workplace discrimination, from recruitment, especially if they have ethnic or Muslim-sounding names, to promotion.
They value diverse, family-friendly workplaces that respect religious practices and where socialising does not centre around alcohol.
Employers identified limited community awareness of opportunities, narrow recruitment practices, weak community links, non-inclusive workplace cultures, underrepresentation in senior roles and biased appraisal processes as key barriers as well as structural issues such as short-term hiring.
The report recommends that employers work with community partners and local authorities to invest in targeted community and school outreach programmes, diversify and tackle bias in their own recruitment processes, offer and value flexible working and work on promoting an inclusive culture and diversity monitoring.
There are also recommendations for the GLA and local authorities and for national government, including developing a national training programme for Jobcentre Plus staff in intercultural competency, building community partnerships to deliver tailored employment advice and increasing provision of culturally sensitive, affordable childcare.
The report concludes: “Too often, cultural factors are overstated as an explanation for economic inactivity, rather than recognising structural issues such as employer bias, discrimination, and the lack of inclusive workplace policies.
“This study challenges these narratives, highlighting how they obscure the skills and aspirations of these women and reinforce their exclusion from meaningful employment.”
Domiziana, who did her MPhil in Sociology at Cambridge and is currently a local authority researcher for Gloucestershire County Council, was convener of the interdisciplinary Oxford Migration and Mobility Network from 2020-2023 and is now an advisory board member. It draws together researchers of migration and mobility from across the University of Oxford. From 2019 to 2021, she served as editor and then co-editor-in-chief of the Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration Journal.
*Picture of London City Hall taken from www.london.gov.uk.
