Blog
The refreshed Think Business, Think Equality tool is here
This morning, Close the Gap officially launched the refreshed Think Business, Think Equality tool – our free, practical self-assessment designed to help small and medium-sized employers take meaningful action on workplace gender equality.
Originally launched in 2015, Think Business, Think Equality has supported more than 12,000 businesses to better understand women’s labour market inequality and identify practical steps to address it. Over the past decade, the policy landscape has evolved, the evidence base has strengthened, and employers are navigating new economic and workforce challenges. This refresh ensures Think Business Think Equality remains ambitious, relevant, and aligned with Scotland’s Fair Work agenda.
Why this matters now
In the context of ongoing skills shortages, rising in-work poverty and new employment law requirements, advancing gender equality at work is both the right thing to do, and a smart, strategic decision for Scotland’s employers.
It’s the right thing to do because, in 2026, women still face gender inequality at work. The gender pay gap is not an accident; it reflects the workplace practices and societal barriers that shape women’s working lives. The consequences are greater economic insecurity, higher levels of in-work poverty, and persistent child poverty.
Gender inequality at work does not stay at work. It shapes women’s lifetime earnings, economic security and life chances – and affects families and communities across generations. When women are locked out of better-paid roles, passed over for progression, or pushed out by inflexible or hostile workplaces, the consequences are long-lasting.
Inequality also does not affect all women equally. Racially minoritised women, disabled women, single parents, and young mothers face compounded barriers – from discrimination in recruitment and progression, to a lack of reasonable adjustments and inflexible working practices. Too often, those who could benefit most from fair workplaces are those most likely to be excluded.
This shows us that there is a clear moral case for action. Employers are part of society, and the decisions they make about pay, progression and workplace culture have real impacts on people’s lives.
In addition, there is also a strong business case. Skills shortages are exacerbated by occupational segregation. You cannot solve a workforce challenge if you are recruiting from only half the talent pool. The gender pay gap is not just a fairness issue – it is a talent and productivity issue. Inclusive employers attract a wider range of applicants, retain staff for longer, and perform better.
The refreshed Think Business Think Equality tool is designed to support employers to take practical, proportionate action that works for their organisation.
What’s new?
The updated tool reflects what we’ve learned through years of employer engagement, research and policy advocacy. It:
- Focuses on the systems and practices that shape inequality, not just headline figures.
- Strengthens guidance across pay and reward, recruitment and retention, development and progression, flexible working, workplace culture, pregnancy and maternity, domestic abuse and sexual harassment.
- Embeds clearer, more tailored feedback and action planning for SMEs.
- Encourages employers to identify where bias or informal decision-making may be affecting outcomes.
- Aligns closely with the Fair Work Framework – particularly the Opportunity and Respect dimensions.
As before, the tool generates a personalised action plan based on an employer’s responses, helping them prioritise actions that will have the greatest impact.
Designed with SMEs in mind
Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of Scotland’s economy. Yet many lack in-house HR capacity or specialist equality expertise.
Think Business, Think Equality translates complex equality and employment law obligations into practical workplace steps. It supports employers to move beyond minimum compliance or funding conditionality, and instead embed equality into everyday employment practice – from how roles are advertised, to how pay decisions are made, to how flexible working is managed in practice.
From evidence to action
Close the Gap’s research consistently shows that workplace inequality is driven by organisational systems and practices, not individual choices.
Small, intentional changes to recruitment processes, pay structures, progression pathways, and workplace culture can make a significant difference to women’s access to fair, secure and rewarding work.
The refreshed Think Business, Think Equality tool is here to support that change.
The tool is free to use and available now. Take your first self-assessment today.
New webinar series - Men’s jobs and women’s job: how work got this way and what we can do about it
Tackling occupational segregation is central to Close the Gap’s work. The tendency for men and women to do different types of jobs and work at different levels is a defining feature of Scotland’s labour market. Women’s employment is concentrated in undervalued, low-paid, and underpaid jobs such as care, cleaning, and nursing. This segregation drives women’s poverty and child poverty, it restricts women’s (and men’s) choices, and it sustains the gender pay gap. Despite being such a significant cause of women’s labour market inequality, occupational segregation seems to be an intractable problem on which there has been little to no progress. In some areas, for example, tech, progress has actually reversed.
Occupational segregation is a cradle to the labour market problem, and policymakers have failed to get to grips with the level of action that’s needed to address this from early years to stopping the leaky pipeline. Instead, policy responses have largely focused on supply-side initiatives to equip more girls with STEM skills. There has been far less attention on the structural change that needs to happen in the workplace, and in wider policy areas such as childcare. There has been even less attention on the economy-wide undervaluation of ‘women’s work’ such as social care and childcare. This economic injustice persists even though, as Covid exposed, women’s work is essential to Scotland’s economy and to our society.
In 2026, we want to bring this ‘wicked problem’ into focus. We know that occupational segregation is not well understood by policymakers, employers or other key actors in women’s employment. From our work with employers, we’ve found that many are unclear about what the causes are, and importantly, how they can make a dent in the rigid patterns they see in their organisation.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Close the Gap. Throughout the year, we will commemorate this milestone with a series of events, blog posts and activities to reflect on our journey so far and set out our vision for the future. To kick things off, we are launching a three-part webinar series exploring occupational segregation in more detail. This series, Men’s jobs and women’s jobs: how work got this way and what we can do about it, is designed to build capacity in employers by providing practical information and good practice examples from different sectors. We have an expert programme of speakers from employers from different sectors, trade unions, and organisations working on gender equality.
Webinar Details
You can find more information on each webinar and links to register below:
1. What is occupational segregation?
Date: 17th March 13:00-14:00
This session will introduce the topic and explore the causes and why occupational segregation persists. We will have expert speakers including:
- Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director at Close the Gap
- Dilraj Sokhi Watson, Director of Equate Scotland, the national organisation working on women in STEM sectors
- Susie Heywood from Gender friendly Scotland, who work on challenging gender stereotypes in early years
To register for the webinar, visit https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d17901c4-457b-401c-a7b0-b6bac3006359@35d08309-45f5-434a-bab9-1788fe402fb6
2. Addressing occupational segregation in male-dominated sectors
Date: 28st April 13:00-14:00
In this webinar we will be hearing from organisations who have been successful in rolling out targeted approaches to increasing the number of women in their male-dominated workforce. We are pleased to be joined by:
- Gareth Hind, Director of Colleague Experience and Internal Communications at First Bus
To register for the webinar, visit https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7f1002cd-365d-46f8-bb56-09c96e90a959@35d08309-45f5-434a-bab9-1788fe402fb6
3. How undervaluation drives occupational segregation
Date: 12th May 13:00-14:00
In our third session we will be exploring undervaluation. The concept of undervaluation underpins gendered pay inequality, occupational segregation and the gender pay gap. The skills needed to do ‘women’s work’ such as social care, childcare and nursing are less valued than comparative jobs done by men. This means that ‘women’s work’ is often associated with lower pay and poorer terms and conditions. This causes sector-wide issues such recruitment and retention challenges and ongoing equal pay claims. We will be hearing from:
- Lauren Mackie, Women’s Campaign Unit at GMB Scotland
- Eileen Mckenna, Associate Director of Nursing, Policy and Professional Practice at Royal College of Nursing
To register for the webinar, visit https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/12dbda8f-da64-4388-a542-a8fa1dc53769@35d08309-45f5-434a-bab9-1788fe402fb6
The webinars will be recorded and available after the session.
EVENT: Fair Work in Action – Supporting employers to advance gender equality
Close the Gap is relaunching the Think Business, Think Equality tool for SMEs at a free online event showcasing how employers can strengthen Fair Work practices and advance gender equality at work.
Following an extensive redevelopment phase working closely with SMEs, the improved tool is now more accessible, streamlined, and tailored to the realities of small businesses. It provides businesses with a personalised action plan to take targeted action across key areas including pay and reward, recruitment and progression, flexible working, workplace culture, pregnancy and maternity, domestic abuse and sexual harassment. The tool also supports SMEs to meet Fair Work requirements and become funding-ready and contract-ready.
The event will feature a presentation of the tool and demonstrate how it can be used in practice, exploring how improving workplace equality strengthens Fair Work practices and business sustainability. There will also be a panel discussion and opportunities for questions.
Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director at Close the Gap, will be chairing the event, and the Minister for Business and Employment has been invited to give a keynote address.
Lindsey Millen, Head of Policy and Development at Close the Gap, will be presenting the Think Business Think Equality tool.
We will also have a panel discussion with confirmed speakers Carolyn Currie, Chief Executive Officer at Women’s Enterprise Scotland; Susan Harkins, Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at South of Scotland Enterprise; and Eleonora Vanello, Head of Peer Works.
Event Details
Date/time/location: Tuesday 24th February, 10.00am-11.30am, online.
You can register for the free event here.
Joining instructions will be sent to all registered attendees in advance of the event.
If you are unable to register online, please email us at email info@closethegap.org.uk for assistance.
Three manifesto priorities for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election
Close the Gap has published its manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. We call for political parties to commit to action in three priority areas which are critical to women’s labour market equality:
- Build an economy that works for all women, including those who are most marginalised such as racially minoritised women, disabled women, young mothers and single parents.
- Reform the Scottish-specific duties of the public sector equality duty to ensure that the public sector leads the way on advancing women’s equality at work.
- Deliver a childcare system that centres gender equality and puts choice for all at the heart of provision.
Over time, we have seen some progress on women and work. But we also know that progress is fragile, as shown by Covid which resulted in a rolling back of women’s equality, and the cost of living crisis which hit women hardest. Globally we are seeing a backlash against equality, diversity and inclusion. Scotland is not immune to this, with rising misogyny, racism and right-wing activism threatening women’s equality and rights. In this volatile political context, it is imperative that political parties prioritise gender equality and make sure that tackling women’s poverty and inequality is centred in policy ambitions.
Our manifesto sets out 11 key asks which will make meaningful change for women in Scotland, including:
- Design and deliver targeted employability support for disabled women that is accessible, flexible, appropriate to skill level, and proactively challenges occupational segregation.
- Commit to using sectoral bargaining to improve and set pay, terms and conditions in the social care sector in 2026.
- Require public bodies to develop and report on gender pay gap action plans.
- Use state wage-setting powers to increase the pay of all childcare workers to the Real Living Wage, with a more ambitious target set thereafter.
Now is the time for parties to commit to a progressive agenda which ensures that the inequalities that shape the lives of women will be tackled. Our calls are informed by evidence of what will make a difference for women. The next Scottish Government must act decisively to turn evidence into action, ensuring that women’s equality is protected, progressed, and central to building a fairer Scotland for everyone.
16 days of activism: What workplaces can do to support victim-survivors of sexual violence
Each year for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, we talk about how violence against women is a workplace issue. For this year’s campaign, we wanted to look more closely at what else needs to be done to make workplaces safer for victim-survivors of sexual violence. This is because we recently launched a guidance for line managers on supporting victim-survivors of rape and sexual assault, which is the first of its kind. As well, the changes to the law around employer responsibility to prevent sexual harassment and the banning of non-disclosures agreements creates opportunities for improving and changing practices that haven’t been supporting women.
Changes to employment law
Work on improving organisational responses to rape and sexual assault has been slow. The #MeToo movement was critical in exposing how employers were failing to take meaningful action on women’s complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault at work. It was also helpful in driving action forward and changes to employment law could create further momentum for employers to take this more seriously.
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 that was introduced in October 2024, places further legal responsibilities on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment before it even occurs. Alongside this, the Draft Employment Rights Bill, being brought forward by the UK Government, proposes strengthening this legal responsibility further to require employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. The Draft Bill also proposes banning employers from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence employees who have experienced harassment and discrimination. This significant milestone is the result of years of activism from the campaigning group, can’t buy my silence, which was started by Zelda Perkins, former personal assistant of Harvey Weinstein. The use of NDAs has had a detrimental impact on victim-survivors of sexual violence, preventing many from being heard. It’s also sustained existing poor employment practice on sexual harassment, because so few sexual harassment claims make it to tribunal. As a result, there’s very little case law on sexual harassment and sexual assault at work which means that employment law hasn’t evolved in the same way that it has in other areas such as equal pay.
While these changes are a move in the right direction, there’s still a long way to go to ensure women are safe at work and feel comfortable bringing forward a complaint. After years of being silenced or assuming no action will be taken, employers need to prioritise building trust in reporting processes and demonstrating to staff that they will take reports or disclosures seriously.
Building capacity in line managers
Increasing awareness of violence against women as a workplace issue is a key element of Equally Safe at Work, Close the Gap’s employer accreditation programme. Part of this work includes building capacity in line managers to respond to reports and disclosures of violence against women. A survey of public and third sector employers, conducted as part of Equally Safe at Work, asked line managers about their confidence levels in responding to different forms of violence against women. The findings showed that line manager confidence in responding to rape and sexual assault was one of the lowest. Only 32% of respondents said they felt very confident, with the remaining two-third of managers feeling only somewhat confident or not at all confident. Close the Gap has also heard directly from employers engaged with Equally Safe at Work there is a need to build knowledge on supporting victim-survivors of sexual violence among line managers.
This is why we developed guidance for line managers on how to support victim-survivors of rape and sexual assault. The resource is the first to look at how rape and sexual assault can be perpetrated by colleagues both in and outside of the workplace. It also looks at how experiences of rape and sexual assault unrelated to the workplace can impact women at work. It outlines the overlap with sexual harassment, how line managers can start a conversation, things to avoid and best practice for responding to a disclosure or report.
In the development of our guidance for line managers, we worked with Rape Crisis Scotland’s Survivor Reference Group to gain insight into survivors’ experiences of the workplace. One survivor shared:
‘After what happened to me, I was so exhausted from the trauma and the fear and the pain that being able to get up in the morning required too much. Being able to function normally at work can be near impossible for survivors, and yet, my employers were annoyed when I asked for a week of annual leave. It made me feel ashamed to ask, and I felt so alone.’ [Rape Crisis Scotland’s Survivor Reference Group member]
What employers can do
It’s important that employers recognise their integral role in not only ensuring women’s safety at work, but also supporting victim-survivors who have been raped or sexually assaulted outside of a workplace setting. Many victim-survivors report that they felt there wasn’t any support available at work or anyone they could speak to. We know that when women aren’t able to access support in the workplace that it can lead to diminished performance, periods of absence, and can even result in women leaving their roles entirely. It’s therefore good practice for employers and line managers to understand how to support victim-survivors and also to understand what organisations can do to prevent violence against women from happening in the first place.
The new legal requirement on preventing sexual harassment provides an opportunity for employers to look closely at their current practices, systems and policies to understand how they can do things better. Our new guidance for line managers is a key tool to support this work. Developing improved practice on gender equality at work is a necessary step in preventing violence against women.
Find out more what your organisation can do by visiting www.EquallySafeatWork.scot
RSS