Women, Identity and Employability Dr Joan K. F. Heggie Research Fellow, Social Futures Institute, University of Teesside Project Coordinator, ADVANCE Women to Employability

Background Context CSPR research on women and employment 3 linked European Social Funded action research projects in NE England Barriers to women’s employment and progression (2002-3) Widening Horizons (2004-5) ADVANCE (2006-7) Other projects on risky identities for women

Policy Context National debates: employability issues (emphasis on skills and attitudes) have replaced the problem of unemployment (New Deal revisited) Current Government focus: ‘getting people back into employment’ - targets include: lone parents people on Incapacity Benefits Exposes enduring stigmatized stereotypes e.g. ‘feckless, single, teenage mothers’

Research Context Research findings from the first two projects revealed a complex mixture of structural barriers and women’s life choices which de-prioritised employment progression Little contemporary research addressing: -the impact of ‘personal’ factors -the impact of ‘stigma’/difference on perceptions of employability ADVANCE targeted 6 disadvantaged groups: women with perceived low levels of employability

Introduction to ‘ADVANCE’ Action Research Project – aims –Create ‘Toolkit’ or module around Peer mentoring Social networking –Deliver Personal Development Programme –Research 50 women across NE –Multiple barriers to employability 6 organisations selected in: –Cramlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Newton Aycliffe and Middlesbrough

Introduction to ‘ADVANCE’ ‘ADVANCE’ aimed at women who may experience disadvantage and / or have barriers to employment related to: Drug and alcohol issues Being teenage single mothers Belonging to minority ethnic groups Having lesbian or bisexual identities Suffering from long term health issues Being ex-offenders

Personal Development Programme Designed specifically as a resource for women Peer mentoring circles in a ‘women only’ space Facilitators have experience of client group Capacity building – working with organisations in the community Step by step programme Journey Lines and Diary Pages to assess their own progression

Themed mentoring sessions: Identity, self esteem, confidence and aspirations to assist in identifying the life skills that women already possess to encourage women to value their own experience and life skills to recognise and overcome personal barriers to moving forward to recognise that they are not alone

Research Mixed methods approach: Self-esteem questionnaires; Journey lines; Diary pages; Repeated life narrative interviews; Focus Groups Strengths: Enabled focus upon ‘self’ Women controlled the narrative Potential weaknesses: Data about structural barriers to employability patchy

Findings 1 Most of the women had low self esteem and confidence levels at the start of the programme indicating that they felt ‘useless’ most of the time Employment did not feature highly in aspirations Most had experienced disrupted lives Managing their emotions was a major task

Findings 2 Women perceived themselves as the barrier to employability Data on their perceptions of ‘stigmatized’ or ‘spoiled’ identities led us to review concepts of: Stigma Personal / social capital Women said: ‘I just feel …that I was told for so many years that I was all these bad things, I was worthless..’ (Leslie) ‘Just all me life I’ve had ‘you’re small, fat and ugly and don’t forget it’ and it’s just you know you’ll never result to anything’ (Chloe)

Bringing it all together Employability is not just about having qualifications and work experience Public debates about employability represent it as a gender neutral concept Our research shows that perceptions of employability are gendered Little research that explores the impact of self, identity and difference upon perceptions of employability