Although the last 40 years have seen the presence of women in the UK workforce strengthen considerably, with the gap in pay between men and women becoming narrower in the last 10 years, it is no secret that the lower-paid occupations are largely dominated by women. [1]
Some of this can be attributed to longstanding (and out of date) attitudes toward gender in the work place. A good proportion of the difficulties for women, especially single mums, are found as a result of not being able to juggle the many different roles that they have to fulfil. In fact, statistics show that only around 8 per cent of single parents are fathers. [2]
The availability of affordable and reliable child care is a primary concern for many women looking to enter and maintain employment. According to National Statistics, 46 per cent of people using childcare said it was informal. “For single parents working 16 hours a week or more 34 per cent had a childcare arrangement with the child’s grandparents, and 17 per cent had an arrangement with their ex-partner”. Working single parents are more likely to struggle to meet childcare costs than working couples. [2]
Balancing work with their duties at home places not only restrictions on women but also considerable stress.
Single working parents are more likely to find it difficult to meet childcare costs compared to working couples.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, has been quoted as saying that “all too often the jobs in the sectors where women tend to work … are underpaid and undervalued. We’ve come a long way but sex discrimination, unaffordable childcare, a lack of quality part-time work, and the undervaluing of women’s work still cast a shadow over our labour market.” [1]
The imbalance seems to also extend to the higher-powered jobs, with less than a third of the UK’s senior employment positions being held by women [4].
Facing this sort of adversity, it is no surprise that more and more women are seeking alternative routes of employment with self-employment and business ownership amongst women increasing considerably.
“Twenty years ago, fewer than 650 thousand women were self-employed – now there are more than 950 thousand self-employed women in the UK” (www.isbe.org.uk/facts) [3]
Over the last decade more and more women are starting their own businesses or achieving the top jobs in major companies, including IBM, PepsiCo, DuPont, Facebook, Yahoo and Mondelez ( Kraft ) There are certainly far more opportunities available today for Women who want to start their own business than there were only five years ago.
Vending as a Viable Business for Women and Single Mums
When faced with the facts, it comes as no surprise that vending is becoming an attractive option for a lot of women. With flexibility of working hours and the affordability presented by vending, Tubz Brands have seen a marked increase in the number of single and working mothers looking to vending as an employment alternative. Here are some of the more common benefits that have been identified:
• Flexible working times – you can in essence choose your working hours to fit around school, leaving more time to spend with the family in the evenings and at weekends.
• Affordability – starting a business for yourself can be expensive and when funds are limited, it is important to find a business concept that can yield a quick return for comparatively little outlay. Concepts such as tower vending can do just that.
• Income top-up – many women in the workplace find that part-time employment doesn’t quite offer a suitable income but working part-time is their only option. Because vending can be operated on a part-time basis, it can lend itself to providing an opportunity for an extra income that isn’t going to be detrimental to family life.
• Safety and security – although you are handling cash, there is less risk to you than there would be with a business that involves doorstep collections such as some of the popular mail-order concepts (for example). You can be working during daylight hours and even if some of your sites are licensed premises, you can be attending them during the safer times of the day when it is less busy. Plus you do not have to be attending the same sites at the same times on each visit so it would be less easy for someone to identify a pattern of cash collection.
• Support – It is easier to start a business when you have the support to do so. “There is consensus in the research literature that women who are self-employed often face additional problems associated with lack of business knowledge and training, discrimination and prejudice (particularly in obtaining finance), as well as increased home/work conflicts and stress.” (www.isbe.org.uk/facts) [3] There are increasing government initiatives to help women move into the self-employed sector but being able to work with a company that is progressive and established in its field can provide much of the support that has been missing. If a franchising company, for example, can provide you with professional advice, tools and training, this can help pave the way to personal success. With low start-up costs, finance or loans are not necessarily the only option to fund starting a vending business – if you have a little capital that could be all you need. Also, having a marketing service made available to you to help reduce the amount of time that you spend getting your business established can be invaluable, especially when you are already working.
• If you are already working, you don’t have to make an immediate and complete life change to get started in vending. If you can commit to just a few hours a week to begin with, you can soon build up your business to whichever level you wish to take it.
• Being your own boss – to be responsible for your own income and to not be answerable to someone else when you are working not only brings you a greater sense of pride and confidence but also helps to extend that freedom than employed work doesn’t always provide.
References:
[1] – Katie Allen, The Guardian Sep 13
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/25/uk-women-lower-paid-work-figures
[2] – http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/365/Statistics
Family and Children Survey 2008, Table 16.5. DWP, 2010
Family and Children Survey 2008, Table 16.1. DWP, 2010
Childcare and early years survey of parents 2009, p.83. NatCen/Department for Education, 2010. Research Report DFE-RR054
[3] – http://www.isbe.org.uk/facts
(Marlow et al 2005, 2006, Carter et al 2004, Dti 2004). http://www.isbe.org.uk/facts#sthash.aUVhZI1c.dpuf
[4] BBC News research, 29/05/12 – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18187449.
