Hijab-wearing Muslim women face discrimination in UK
PTI, London :
Muslim women in Britain who wear headscarves are routinely being passed over for jobs or being side-lined in the workplace, with 71 per cent of the women from the community more likely to be unemployed than white Christian women, a new report by British MPs warned today.
The House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee concluded Muslim women are the most disadvantaged group in British society and a new government plan was required to tackle the inequalities before the end of the year.
The cross-party committee said many Muslim women in the UK faced a “triple penalty” impacting on their job prospects – being women, being from an ethnic minority and being Muslim.
“The impact of Islamophobia on Muslim women should not be underestimated. They are 71 per cent more likely than white Christian women to be unemployed, even when they have the same educational level and language skills,” reads the report titled ‘Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK’.
While 69 per cent of British working-age women were in employment, among Muslim women it was 35 per cent. Nationally, 5 per cent of women were unemployed and seeking work but among Muslim women, it was 16 per cent. Among women generally, 27 per cent were economically inactive or unemployed and not seeking work last year.
However, among Muslim women the figure was 58 per cent.
“There is a distinct level of institutional racism that is being endured by Muslim women and we must be open about that,” said Maria Miller, chair of the committee.
“Everybody is subject to the same law in this country and Muslim women can choose to dress in the way that they want in the same way that other women can and shouldn’t have to suffer discrimination as a result of it.
“One of the young women who gave evidence to us told the committee in an informal sitting that she had decided not to wear a headscarf and was struck by the different way she was treated both by people she didn’t know but also people she knew,” she added.
Muslim women in Britain who wear headscarves are routinely being passed over for jobs or being side-lined in the workplace, with 71 per cent of the women from the community more likely to be unemployed than white Christian women, a new report by British MPs warned today.
The House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee concluded Muslim women are the most disadvantaged group in British society and a new government plan was required to tackle the inequalities before the end of the year.
The cross-party committee said many Muslim women in the UK faced a “triple penalty” impacting on their job prospects – being women, being from an ethnic minority and being Muslim.
“The impact of Islamophobia on Muslim women should not be underestimated. They are 71 per cent more likely than white Christian women to be unemployed, even when they have the same educational level and language skills,” reads the report titled ‘Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK’.
While 69 per cent of British working-age women were in employment, among Muslim women it was 35 per cent. Nationally, 5 per cent of women were unemployed and seeking work but among Muslim women, it was 16 per cent. Among women generally, 27 per cent were economically inactive or unemployed and not seeking work last year.
However, among Muslim women the figure was 58 per cent.
“There is a distinct level of institutional racism that is being endured by Muslim women and we must be open about that,” said Maria Miller, chair of the committee.
“Everybody is subject to the same law in this country and Muslim women can choose to dress in the way that they want in the same way that other women can and shouldn’t have to suffer discrimination as a result of it.
“One of the young women who gave evidence to us told the committee in an informal sitting that she had decided not to wear a headscarf and was struck by the different way she was treated both by people she didn’t know but also people she knew,” she added.
