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Close the Gap welcomes Holyrood report which finds clear economic gains to closing the pay gap, worth up to £17bn* to Scotland's economy
Close the Gap welcomes the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee report which reinforces the economic imperative of tackling the gender pay gap, and calls for a national strategy.
Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, said:
“The pay gap is an indicator of women’s persistent labour market inequality, and history has shown us that tinkering around the edges of a systemic problem doesn’t create change. This is why we enthusiastically welcome the call for a national strategy, the key ask from Close the Gap.
“The pay gap is a structural problem which requires a cohesive, strategic response to address its many inter-related causes. It’s time to translate the rhetoric around the pay gap into substantive action, and create meaningful change for women.
“We also welcome the Committee’s findings on the undervaluation of women’s skills, a critical economy-wide problem, and the recommendation that care be a priority sector. Care work is grossly undervalued and low-paid because it’s seen as ‘women’s work’. Scotland needs economic development policy that recognises care as essential infrastructure that enables the economy to function.
“The Committee recognises that the solutions to the pay gap are varied and complex, and requires action from a broad range of stakeholders. Now is the time for Scottish Government to show leadership, and demonstrate its commitment to realising equality for women at work.”
*In 2016, Close the Gap published a research report on the economic case for women's labour market equality, which found that equalising men's and women's employment could add up to £17bn to Scotland's economy. Read the Gender Equality Pays report here.
Close the Gap launches new Think Business Think Equality test on Pregnancy and Maternity
The Think Business Think Equality tool has been expanded to include a new test on pregnancy and maternity. The free online tool for employers already includes five tests on flexible working, workplace culture, pay and reward, progression and promotion, and the different jobs that men and women tend to do (occupational segregation). The tool enables employers to self-assess their employment practice, and provides tailored advice and guidance on the ways in which their business can benefit from gender diversity.
The new test on pregnancy and maternity, which takes no longer than five minutes to complete, has been developed to support employers to improve pregnancy and maternity policies and practice.
Recent research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission investigated pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the UK. Employers who took part reported that it was in their interests to support pregnant women and those on maternity leave, and they agreed that statutory rights relating to pregnancy and maternity are reasonable and easy to implement. The research also found that:
- Around one in nine women (11%) reported that they were either dismissed; made compulsorily redundant, where others in their workplace were not;
- One in five women said they had experienced harassment or negative comments related to pregnancy or flexible working from their employer and /or colleagues; and,
- 10% of pregnant employees said their employer discouraged them from attending antenatal appointments.
The new Think Business Think Equality pregnancy and maternity test and guidance will support employers to better support their employees who become parents.
Delivering workplace equality makes good business sense. Having fair and flexible working practices allows you to attract and retain the best talent, reduce recruitment and training costs, and it makes your business more productive, more innovative, and more profitable.
Our Gender Equality Pays research on the economic case for women’s labour market equality identified evidence that gender equality at work is not just good for women, but is also a critical driver for improved business performance, and a worldwide catalyst for economic growth. The report highlighted the proven business benefits of providing flexible working, and the macroeconomic gains where women's under-used skills are more effectively utilised across the labour market. Crucially, the research showed that closing the gender gap in employment could be worth more than £17bn to the Scottish economy.
Find out how your business can benefit from gender equality. Take the Think Business, Think Equality test at www.thinkbusinessthinkequality.org.uk
You can also download a range of guidance, templates, good practice examples, and find links to other support organisations.
If you’re on the move, you can download the Think Business, Think Equality app for iOS, Android or Windows.
Are you a BME women? We want to hear about your experiences of work in Scotland.
Close the Gap is developing a research project on black and minority ethnic (BME) women’s experiences of work in Scotland. As part of this work, we’re looking for BME women to participate in focus groups which will discuss your experiences of the workplace.
We want to hear about any barriers you’ve experienced in entering or progressing in the workplace, and what you think needs to be done to realise equality for BME women at work.
The focus groups are free to attend, and refreshments will be provided.
We can provide travel costs and an interpreter if needed, and support for childcare costs is available. Please let us know your needs when you book. The venue is accessible.
Click here to book for the Glasgow session
Click here to book for the Edinburgh session
If you are unable to participate in the focus groups but would still like to share your experiences Close the Gap will also be conducting a survey after the focus groups have taken place. Please email info@closethegap.org.uk if you would like to participate in the survey.
New Working Paper on Scotland’s Gender Pay Gap Statistics Finds that Progress has Stalled on Realising Equality for Women at Work
Close the Gap has published a new working paper on gender pay gap statistics with a specific analysis of Scotland’s pay gap.
The paper uses data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings(ASHE) tables, from the UK Office for National Statistics, to analyse pay differentials between women and men working in Scotland.
As detailed in table 1 below, the overall mean gender pay gap has seen no difference which remains stubbornly high at 14.9% in 2016, compared with 14.8% in 2015. This means that on average women continue to earn 85p for every £1 men earn.
Very little progress has been seen on the part-time pay gap with a very modest decrease of 1.3 percentage points to 32.2%, when comparing women’s part-time average earnings to men’s full-time earnings, illustrating the fact that part-time work is concentrated in low-paid, undervalued, stereotypical female jobs and sectors such as cleaning and care.
This very small decrease is partly due to the introduction by the UK Government of the National Living Wage which contributed to an increase of the average earnings of the lowest paid groups of workers to £7.22 for the average full-time female worker, and £7.20 for average part-time female worker. Women are still far more likely to be concentrated in low-paid, part-time work therefore likely to benefit most from the introduction of a new minimum wage bracket.
As table 6 from the report (and above) shows, the public sector overall (12.1%), full-time (7.3%) and part-time (26.8%) pay gaps are lower than the national averages, 15%, 11%, and 32%respectively, whilst the private sector pay gap is considerably higher for each group (23.6% for overall, 19.6% for full-time, and a staggering 40.6% part-time pay gap. The public sector pay gap also decreased very slightly by 0.9 percentage points which may have contributed to the overall reduction in the part-time pay gap, as women are more likely to work in the public sector, very often in part-time jobs.
For the first time the new ASHE release has allowed for pay gaps in the third sector to be calculated. The figures for the full-time (11.9%) and overall pay gap (15.6%) were close to the national averages however the part-time pay gap was considerably higher at 38.6% suggesting that there is a lack of quality part-time jobs in the third sector as there is across the rest of the labour market.
The working paper also provides information on the average difference in earnings in across different age groups, occupational groups, and an analysis of the Scottish gender pay gap over time.
The most recent data highlights the stubborn nature of the gender pay gap. The figures are useful as an indicator of the persistent and entrenched inequalities within the labour market, but with negligible change in recent years, it’s a clear signal that current Scottish policy responses to the pay gap are inadequate. Across Scotland, women and men are still segregated into different types of jobs, and a lack of quality part-time and flexible work sees women under-represented in higher-paid senior roles. Time will tell whether the new pay gap regulations will influence large employers to not only report their pay gaps, but to develop actions to address the barriers that women face. What is clear though is that Scotland needs a coherent strategy to tackle the complex and inter-related causes of women’s inequality at work if the pay gap is to be closed.
The full report can be accessed here.
Close the Gap relaunches as charity
Today, Close the Gap is relaunching as a registered Scottish charity. The focus of our work will not change – we will continue to work with policymakers, employers and trade unions to ensure that policies, programmes and services consider the needs of women, and to tackle the causes of the gender pay gap. Becoming a charity provides us with the opportunity to expand that work, and at a time when employment rights are under threat with the impending Brexit, and when we are seeing an increasing pushback on women’s rights across the world, this is the right time for just that.
We were previously a partnership initiative, and working with our project partners has allowed us to build up a wealth of experience and knowledge that we will take with us in our new form. We will continue to work with together with our partners in the future, and extend a warm thanks to them for their support throughout our transition.
This is a positive step for Close the Gap, and we’re really looking forward to the opportunities it brings.
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