What difference will it make to people’s lives?

A bit less 9 to 5

Working practices that suit employees as well as employers mean happier people and a more productive workforce. But a 2005 study found that 40% of people in paid employment are unhappy with the hours they work.

Result

This evidence fed into the UK government’s 2007 decision to extend the right to flexible working to more people than ever.

Glass ceilings and sticky floors

Most people agree that men and women should get the same pay for doing the same job. Yet recent research has shown that women are still paid less than men – by between 12% and 23% across the countries of Western Europe. It revealed that average figures typically hide ‘glass ceilings’ and ‘sticky floors’: in other words, there are bigger differences at the top and bottom of the pay scale.

Result

The findings of this study have influenced new policies, such as the 2008 Equalities Bill, which aims to end pay discrimination in the workplace.

The UK in good health

What makes people healthier – a national health service paid for with taxes like we have in the UK, or private health policies like in the USA? A study compared people’s health in both countries over an 11 year period. People in the UK were in better health compared with the USA, and their health was more likely to improve. And US policies tend to mean that people who are in poor health have to stay in paid work.

Result

It’s research like this that encourages British politicians to keep putting money and effort into maintaining the NHS.