Mothers 'suffer most work discrimination'

Women with young children are the most discriminated against at work, a study on inequality in the UK published today will suggest.

A mother with a child aged under 11 years old is 45% less likely to be employed than a man, the Equalities Review will say.

The findings of the review are expected to include a recommendation for the streamlining and simplification of anti-discrimination laws.

The two-year study was commissioned by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005 to examine persistent inequality of all kinds and to create a foundation for the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).

The report today is expected to suggest that women with young children face more discrimination in the workplace than disabled people or those from ethnic minorities.

It is also believed to say that the next most disadvantaged groups are Pakistani and Bangladeshi women.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, CEHR chairman Trevor Phillips said: "We say that equality is not a minority zone - the majority of the people in this country are women and disadvantaged.

"Most of us will be older, many of us will become disabled and even if we are not of one race or another we may have a mixed race child.

"So these things concern us.

"The unemployment of women costs us about £28 billion a year, the under-employment of disabled people about £9 billion.

"So the essential point we are making here is that this is an issue for everybody."

Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly defended the Government's record in helping women to balance work and family life.

She said: "From cutting child poverty to introducing civil partnerships to protection against race hate crimes, we have made a real difference to people's lives.

"No Government has done more to help women in balancing work and family life, introducing a range of new rights to support their choices which include extended and better paid maternity leave, new paternity rights and the right to request flexible working. We have a solid record to build on.

"This Government has transformed our public discussions about fairness and equality and society's expectations, but of course challenges remain."