Racing Home
The Racing Home project has, as its core objective, the enhancement of the working lives of parents and carers in the horseracing industry.
Racing Home
The Racing Home project has as its core objective the enhancement of the working lives of parents and carers in the horseracing industry. It seeks to ensure that all employees understand their basic rights and entitlements and can talk openly about the challenges they experience as a working mother, father, or carer. Rather than a taboo subject, their needs can be embraced inclusively by racing’s employers who will see the benefits of investing in the quality of life of parents, both in terms of retention, a more motivated workforce and overall sustainability.
Education is a sizable part of Racing Home and by leading the way through signposting and highlighting good working practices around parenthood, Women in Racing will help make racing more accessible and enjoyable for our participants.
This will play a part in transforming a more traditional culture and mindset, thus attracting people from outside the sport to join the racing family.
The Beginnings
The ’Racing Home’ project began with a symposium in November 2019 and was followed up by a series of successful workshops and webinars leading to a research-based project led by Dr. Kate Clayton-Hathway of the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice, Oxford Brookes University.
The discussions with participants from all aspects of horseracing were used as a basis to collate data around the experiences of motherhood and parenting. This also expanded to include the views of a wide range of stakeholders. Participants were asked to suggest any solutions they felt would contribute to mitigating both practical barriers for working mothers as well as less tangible ones within our sport.
These findings were collated and developed into a series of recommended ‘next steps’ for the industry in discussion with key stakeholders. The findings formed the report ‘Racing Home, Working Mothers in the Horseracing Industry’ which was published late last year.
Racing Home
The Racing Home project aims to improve the working lives of parents and carers in the horse racing industry. It also helps employees understand their rights and entitlements and encourages open conversations about the challenges they face as working mothers, fathers, or carers.
Racing employers can address these needs inclusively, rather than treating them as taboo. Doing so benefits the sport through better retention, a more motivated workforce, and greater overall sustainability.
Education plays a key role in Racing Home. By sharing guidance and highlighting good practices around parenthood, Women in Racing helps make the sport more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
This will play a part in transforming a more traditional culture and mindset, thus attracting people from outside the sport to join racing.
The Beginnings
The ’Racing Home’ project started with a symposium in November 2019, followed by a series of successful workshops and webinars. Dr. Kate Clayton-Hathway from the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice at Oxford Brookes University then led a research project based on these events. Discussions with participants from across horseracing provided the data on motherhood and parenting experiences, which the project later expanded by gathering views from a wider range of stakeholders.
Participants suggested solutions to address both practical and less tangible barriers for working mothers in the sport. The project team compiled these ideas and, in consultation with key stakeholders, developed a series of recommended next steps for the industry.
The findings formed the report ‘Racing Home, Working Mothers in the Horseracing Industry’ which was published late last year.
