11 August 2016

Muslim women most disadvantaged, say MPs

Muslim women are the most economically disadvantaged group in British society, according to a report by MPs.

Ministers must introduce a plan to tackle the inequalities before the end of the year, the Women and Equalities Committee said.

Figures suggest they are three times more likely to be unemployed jobseekers than women generally, and twice as likely to be economically inactive.

The government said it was committed to making Britain "work for everyone".

Progress has been made, with 45% more Muslim women in work than in 2011, but ministers "know there is much more to do", a government spokesman added.

Many Muslim women in Britain face a "triple penalty" impacting on their job prospects - being women, being from an ethnic minority and being Muslim, the committee suggested.

It cited Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures for 2015, which found 35% of all Muslim women from 16 to 64 were in employment. By contrast, 69% of all British working-age women were in employment between March and May this year. [BBC] Read more