Equality Issues relating to women

Despite nearly 40 years of equality legislation and some notable progress, still face occupational segregation, inequalities in pay and pensions, and are under-represented in positions of power and decision making:

• In 2007 in Scotland, the full-time gender pay gap was 15% and the part-time gender pay gap 35%.
• In 2005, 33.1% of managers were women, including 14.4% of Directors.
• At current rates of progress, it will take another 200 years (40 elections) to achieve an equal number of women in the UK Parliament.
• Statistics show that 75% of working women are still found in just 5 occupational groups – cleaning, catering, caring, cashiering and clerical.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has a vision to see:

• Women and men valued equally. Pay and pensions are equal, and the benefits system treats everyone fairly.
• Fair treatment, not discrimination. Women and men get fair treatment at work and in all walks of life, regardless of their sex.
• Caring roles shared. Women and men share responsibility for work at home. Society and employers support people who look after their children or relatives and go out to work, making it possible to balance both and enjoy life.
• Equal choice, not stereotypes. When women and men choose jobs, educational subjects and how to spend their leisure time, there are no stereotypes about 'traditional' roles.
• Different lives, equal services. We all get services that are equally useful for our different lives. From childcare to pensions, transport to training, services and products meet women's needs as well as men's.
• Equal power. Women – in their full diversity – are as likely as men to be in positions of power, taking decisions in government, business and their communities.
• Women safe from violence. Violence against women is unacceptable, and women feel safe in and out side their homes. The justice system is fair to women who have experienced violence.

The legislation:

Gender equality in the law is applied through the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. The Equality Act 2006 created what is called a "general duty" on public authorities to:

    * Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, and
    * Promote equality of opportunity between men and women. 

In 2007 the  Gender Equality Duty came into effect, requiring additional duties for public bodies. 

In 2009, the Equalities Bill began its way through UK government.

Equalities E-Bulletin

A good way to keep abreast of many of the current issues is to subscribe to the Equalities e-bulletin, issued by Highland Council and the Highlands & Islands Equality Forum (HIEF). The section on gender inequalities is sent to all Women@Work members in the W@W E-bulletin. To subscribe to the entire Equalities bulletin, or to look at previous editions, see the HIEF website.   

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Working towards Equality

There is much work that is needed, but a number of government, public sector and private groups are working towards more equality:

In Europe

The European Commission is committed to eliminating inequalities and promoting gender equality in the EU, through legislation, gender mainstreaming (integrating equality in all its policies). In 2007 it set up the  European Institute for Gender Equality with the aim to support the EU institutions and the Member States in promoting equality between women and men and combating sex discrimination.

In the UK

Government Equalities Office (GEO)

Government legislation on equality issues is a reserved issue, dealt with by the Westminster parliament. The GEO is the department responsible for equalities legislation and policy in the UK. It includes responsible for delivering the Minister for Women’s priorities.

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

The EHRC replaced the Equal Opportunities commission (EOC) in 2007, bringing together the work of the three previous equality commissions and also taking on responsibility for the other aspects of equality: age, sexual orientation and religion or belief, as well as human rights. It is an independent, non-departmental public body, focussing on gender issues throughout the UK. It is funded primarily by the government. Although independent from the government, it is responsible to the cabinet minister with responsibility for women and equality and to the deputy minister for women and equality in the Department for Trade and Industry. The EOC website has a wealth of information, downloadable publications and statistics. There is also a section on the website concerned with Scottish matters. 
  

Women's National Commission

Established in 1969, the Women's National Commission is the official and independent advisory body giving the views of women to the government of the United Kingdom. It is an umbrella organisation representing women and women's organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure women's views are taken into account by the government and are heard in public debate.

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In Scotland

Scottish Government

The Scottish Government is committed to equality in all its legislation, and has its own Equality Unit. Information about the unit can be found on the Scottish Government Website. It supports a number of initiatives working towards equal rights for women, including the Women@Work Project.

Close the Gap

The Close the Gap project covering all of aims to tackle stereotyping and job segregation, and raise awareness amongst employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities.

Engender

Engender is an information, research and networking organisation for women in Scotland.

Equalities Network

The Equality Network works for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality in Scotland.

Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) Women’s committee

The STUC Women’s Committee works to promote the women’s agenda and tackle gender discrimination. A priority this year is closing the gender gap.

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In the  Highlands

Each council has obligations to meet the government Equal Opportunities legislation. 

Highland Council

Equal Opportunities Officer: Rosemary MacKinnon

Equal Opportunities Policy

Argyll and Bute Council

Equal Opportunities Officer: Jennifer Swanson

 

Highlands and Islands Equality Forum

A project to raise awareness of equality issues in the Highlands & Islands offering advice, information and training. It publishes a newsletter, monthly e-bulletin (with Highland Council), and offers road shows to business and groups explaining equality issues.

Highland Community Planning Partnership

A group of organisations in the Highlands which emerged from the  Highland Well-being Alliance, includes Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, NHS Highland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Northern Constabulary, Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Council for Development and Industry, and representatives from the voluntary sector. A key focus is working to combat Violence against Women.

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Resources

The following documents on other websites are particularly useful:

PRIME (Portal to Resources and Information on Mainstreaming Equalities)

Scottish Government collection of equality related (web-based) resources, designed to help policy makers and researchers understand the broad range of equality issues that have relevancy across policy areas.

Women&Work Commission report: Shaping a Fairer Future

was published in February 2006 containing a number of recommendations on how to close the gender pay and opportunities gap. A review of the recommendations was published in July 2009.

Scottish Government statistics relating to population, business, employment, transport, education, tourism, children, crime, housing, and welfare - something for everyone. The statistics can also be viewed looking at gender, age, disability, ethnic groups or religion.

The EHRC has a number of documents relating to Scotland on its website (all in pdf format) including:

Equality issues in Scotland: A review of recent research (published July 2009)

 

Good practice in community engagement from an equality perspective (Published: Spring 2009)

 

Attitudes to Equality in Scotland (methodological workshop) (Published Autumn 2008)

Equal Pay Guide for Women

The Scottish Women's Convention has published an Equal Pay Guide for Women in 2007. This is available to download from their website or hard copies can be requested.

Enforcing the Gender Equality Duty. A Toolkit for Individuals in Scotland. (pdf file)

Another useful document from the Scottish Women's Convention, issued in 2007.

In addition, some documents and reports dealing with equality issues are in the Document Library of this website:

Shaping a Fairer Future

Report from Women and Work Commission, February 2006.

Shaping a Fairer Future. A Review of the Recommendations of the Women and Work Commission Three Years on.

Report from Women and Work Commission, July 2009.

Muslim Women Talk.

A report from AMINA, of the experiences of Muslim women in Scotland since the July London bombings.

Pregnancy Discrimination at Work

A summary of the new DTI Pregnancy Discrimination at Work guidelines which were published on 1 October 2006.

Safer Lives, Changed Lives - a Shared Approach to Tackling Violence Against Women in Scotland

outlines how the Government, local authorities and key support agencies will work together to tackle all forms of violence against women. Published June 2009.