Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the ONS document Female unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %, published on 21 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in female unemployment.

The government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market, whether they want to find a job, return to work, or progress in work, regardless of their background or stage of life.  To support this commitment, the Government has appointed Mariella Frostrup as the Women’s Employment Ambassador, building on her work as the Menopause Employment Ambassador over the past 18 months.

The Department offers a range of employment support that women can benefit from. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.

As set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, the Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’, and disproportionately women’s, decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours.  Eligible UC customers can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work. In addition, eligible working parents can also access 30 hours a week of funded childcare through DfE’s Working Parent Entitlement.

From April 2026, employers with 250 or more employees have the option to produce and publish a voluntary action plan alongside their gender pay gap data, setting out how they will address workplace barriers for women.