A mother’s work is never done and she doesn’t even get paid for much of it either. This weekend it’s Mothering Sunday, a day on which we traditionally celebrate mothers and all the crap they put up with for the sake of the preservation of mankind. While it’s nice to receive a bunch of chrysanthemums…
Tag: jobs
Gender inequality is rife and always has been – but women need to help eradicate it
Today is International Women’s Day and, boy, do we need one. I am spending the day counting how many times a man says – or tweets – the phrase “why don’t we have an international men’s day?”. You know the type – no such thing as a gender pay gap, women always favoured by family…
Like giving crack to a cocaine addict: my life with a 110% subprime mortgage
In 2005, I was given a 110% mortgage by a mainstream lender. For a feckless 29 year old with a history of bad debt, it was like pushing crack on a cocaine addict. Perhaps that’s a bit strong – but that “free” money can be financially lethal, if not literally so. To this day, I see it as one…
Learning a new language can take dogged determination – but it will pay off
Picking up a new language is a skill that most English speakers sadly pass up during their formative years of education. Like a lot of school-related work it can seem arduous and somewhat pointless. When the rest of the world can already speak English – why bother? However, aside from being a useful way to…
My husband has been diagnosed with autism – and it could be threatening his livelihood
Throughout my schooling career, there has been one line that stuck out to me. One day, on a breezy autumn afternoon, my science teacher stood up and declared: “Revision is the new rock and roll! You rock through it, get good grades, and roll through to a good job with good pay!” Looking back, I…
Why our ‘gig economy’ needs a Universal Basic Income
The ‘gig economy’ is thriving in Britain right now. Companies that initially sold themselves as ‘a bit of extra money on the side’, such as Uber and Deliveroo, are increasingly providing the bulk of some people’s income. I took a degree in illustration and would love to be able to pursue it full time one day.…
Thinking of going freelance? These are the key financial considerations
Ditching your job and setting up our own businesses is the ultimate dream for many of us. But, while ditching the morning commute might seem attractive, being your own boss is no walk in the park. Going it alone requires an enormous amount of planning and organisation and, arguably, you need to be even better…
Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Can 2018 be the turning point?
You’ll all remember the headlines about Weinstein, Spacey and Stafford-Clark. Many of us will have experienced first-hand harassment and/or bullying in the workplace – whatever industry we’re in – where predators take advantage of their positions of power. The UK theatre industry is rapidly drawing up codes of conducts and guidelines, and the powers that…
2018 – the year I gave up public transport in London
In January this year, I moved for the fourth time in two years. Not through choice – I was happy where I was – but because my lovely landlord needed his flat back, and my other two flatmates were buying their first flats. Given how much I hate moving house, I decided to live in…
Why you should join a union
In the United Kingdom, trade union membership is falling, it’s down from 25% in 2014, to just 23.5% in 2016 – making up just 6.2 million members. It’s at the lowest that it’s ever been since its peek in 1995 which saw over 13 million people signed up for collective representation. Yet, in a climate of…