Challenges Experienced by Women Working in Customer Service Roles in the Finance Sector

The finance sector is an interesting sector to explore gender specific work and employment issues. The gender pay gap in the sector is one of the biggest (in comparison with other industries); the ratio of the lowest and the highest paid member of staff in any finance institution is so substantive that many union members, as well as the general public, find such polarity unacceptable. This ratio seems to be also highly gendered, as senior well-paid jobs tend to be occupied mostly by men. In addition to pay, there are day-to-day problems which women have to overcome in their workplaces. These are related to heavy workloads, the pace of work, and a culture of targets which, combined with women’s caring responsibilities and their physiology, can result often in serious mental health problems. This short paper includes themed summaries of the problems causing most concern for women working in customer service roles in the Scottish finance sector, as identified by trade unions organising in the finance sector, as well as union activists who took part in the Fair Work Convention meeting at the STUC premises in December 2015.