British minority ethnic women being discriminated in job market

The unemployment of British minority ethnic women has more than doubled as compared to their white counterparts, with some removing their hijabs and changing their names to make them sound more English in order to combat discrimination, revealed a report by UK’s all-party parliamentary group on race and community on Friday
The report claimed that the rate of joblessness for ethnic minority women in Britain has failed to come down in the past three decades. Moreover, the report also finds that prejudice and discrimination explains an even higher unemployment rate faced by women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black communities.
The report finds some employers assume Muslim women would stop work after having children and the MPs and peers say the government must end its “colour blind” approach to improving employment .
The findings of MPs from the cross party group is an attempt to put discrimination issues back on the agenda, coming at a time when the official equalities watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is facing large budget cuts and criticism over its lack of effectiveness.
“Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are particularly affected, with 20.5% being unemployed compared to 6.8% of white women; with 17.7% of black women also being unemployed,” the report found.
Explaining that the government’s approach must change, the MP’s said, “Evidence shows that there are varied and complex barriers being faced by Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women which are different from those being faced by white women or ethnic minority men”.
Labour MP David Lammy, who chairs the all-party group, said that it was staggering that in 21st century Britain there are still women who felt they had to remove their hijab or change their name just to be able to compete on the same terms as other candidates while looking for jobs. “All unemployment is tragic but we simply can no longer remain so casual about women that are simultaneously the victims of both sexism and racism when they are competing in the labour market. It has massive implications for families and society as a whole,” he said.
“Getting women into jobs is the best way to break families out of the poverty cycle so it is time for the government to make addressing this a priority,” he added.