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The Fragility Of Fairness
From The Edges Edition 13
We go to the edges to find the stories that matter
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How fragile is the fairness we experience in our lives? This week’s stories show just how easily it can be broken. Disabled people in paid work are still turning to food banks as benefit cuts deepen their hardship, revealing how little protection employment offers against poverty. Parents continue to face entrenched inequality, with mothers penalised for having children and fathers still fighting for the right to care equally. Hospitality workers are taking to the streets in strikes, demanding an end to zero-hour contracts, unstable rotas, and technology that reduces their income rather than supporting their skills. And when advertising crosses the line into outright offence, it is once again diverse communities who are left to call it out themselves. How fair is our world?
These stories remind us that fairness is not something we can assume. It is fragile, often undermined by the very systems designed to protect us. From welfare to work, from family life to public life, fairness only holds if leaders choose to reinforce it through action. Without that, it remains little more than a word, thin enough to tear at the first sign of pressure.
Stories from the edges this week...
Gen Z Youth Protests Lead to First Female MP in Nepal
Three in four people who rely on food banks are disabled, according to a new study. The Trussell Trust reports that more than 14 million people faced hunger last year because they could not afford essentials. Cuts to disability benefits remain a major concern, with the government recently forced to pause changes to the personal independence payment (PIP) after widespread backlash. The crisis extends beyond benefits alone. Paid employment is no longer a safeguard against poverty, with three in ten people referred to Trussell’s food banks coming from working households.
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UK Summit for Working Dads Raises Questions About Working Rights For Parents
The Working Dads Summit, led by Parenting Out Loud, appealed to men and women to work together to push for more equal parenting. Recent analysis from the Office for National Statistics suggested that the motherhood penalty contributes to women with children earning a third less per week and 20% less an hour than men with children. The summit put pressure on the government to improve the UK’s paternity leave offering. There are changes coming in the new Employment Rights Bill, but clearly more to do to make progress.
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Chip Shop Advertising Awards Cause Offence and Outrage
We have seen advertising disasters many times. The recent Chip Shop Advertising Awards is one of the worst examples we have seen for a while. The offensive advert for Finish dishwasher said “Make a Muslim eat pork”. It was called out by Zed Anwar, who withdrew all his entries and called out The Drum. It has since been retracted. They have made an apology.
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London Bar Staff To Strike In Pay and QR Code Ordering Dispute
Teams at Draughts bars in Waterloo and Stratford plan to stage their second round of strikes next month. This is an escalating dispute over working conditions. They want an end to the use of zero-hour contracts and last-minute rotas, which impact their lives. They also want Draughts to scrap QR code ordering over concerns that it cuts the number of tips received and undermines their skills. This follows a series of strikes threatened by hospitality workers over the last few months. Housekeepers at the Radisson Blu Canary Wharf called off plans for a six-week walkout in August after securing pay rises, back-payments, and the right to guaranteed minimum hours.
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Reform plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain for migrants
This story has been all over the news, even though we are years away from a general election. Reform UK has announced it would abolish the right of migrants to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK. Under the plans, migrants would need to reapply for new visas with tougher rules, and Reform would abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which gives people rights and access to benefits. This would mean many would have to leave. This not only impacts workers and industries, entire families would be torn apart.
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Former Meta employee author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company
A former Meta executive who wrote an explosive exposé making allegations about the social media company’s dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers is said to be 'on the verge of bankruptcy' after publishing the book. The book exposes the culture at Meta and reveals information about how the company works and many decisions are made. She is fighting back. The book 'Careless People' is available now.
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Charity closures soar due to cost-of-living crisis
The number of UK charities that have been forced to close has jumped by 74 per cent this year, with the rising cost of living, stalling donations and the increase in employers’ national insurance all blamed for the shocking rise. This, combined with the fall in donors, ir raising concerns for many charities.
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Lack of diversity and representation in creative and cultural industries leadership
New report shows clear lack of diversity in the creative and marketing sector. Data shows ‘worrying underrepresentation’ of women, people from working class and ethnic minority backgrounds, and disabled people in creative sector leadership. When we see advertising that offends people, and marketing campaigns that miss the mark, we can see why.
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Fairness is fragile because it is treated as optional. Benefits can be cut, parents can be sidelined, workers can be placed in precarious conditions, and communities can be insulted or ignored until they speak up. None of this is inevitable, though. Fairness becomes real only when it is chosen, defended, and built into every decision leaders make. The challenge is simple to name but harder to deliver. As leaders, will we allow fairness to keep tearing under pressure, or will we make it strong enough to hold?
If fairness is fragile, it is because we have chosen to keep it that way.
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MK Girls Talk Tech
Did you know it was Milton Keynes Tech Week last week? We loved joining Pippa Moyle and City Girl Network at the MK Girl Talks Tech event and X and Why, Milton Keynes. We started off the event running our 'Same World, Different Perspectives' workshop to get everyone thinking and talking about inclusion. This was followed by a brilliant panel discussion about inclusion in tech. We need different people to be involved in tech careers, otherwise, technology is being developed without considering all of the people who will use and be impacted by technology. This was just the start of our strengthening partnership with City Girl Network. More from us soon.
You can read more about all of our partnerships here:
https://edgeofdifference.com/about-us/our-partners/
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