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New guidance for public sector employers on gender and the public sector equality duty
The public sector equality duty forms s149 of the Equality Act 2010. It is a positive duty which requires public authorities to take a proactive and organised approach to tackling institutional discrimination, and aims to mainstream equality into public bodies in practical ways. It has a general duty which sets out requirements for all public authorities and those bodies exercising a public function, and specific duties which place additional requirements on listed public authorities.
The general duty has now been in place for five years, with the specific duties in place for four years. In that time listed public authorities in Scotland have been required to publish their first mainstreaming reports, employee information, equal pay statements, gender pay gap information, and equality outcomes, and report on progress made towards mainstreaming equalities, and their equality outcomes.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission considered listed authorities’ compliance with the duty in its Measuring Up? reports, and a number of other equalities organisations have also scrutinised the standard of reporting. Close the Gap completed assessments of the first round of reporting in April 2013, and the second round in April 2015, with a focus on gender and employment.
The first assessment identified significant room for improvement in public authorities’ responses to PSED across all aspects of the duty. Public authorities failed to recognise data collection, interpretation and use as a process. Some authorities were stronger in data collection but then provided insufficient or weak analysis. Others had ostensibly better outcomes but these were not based on the data collected. Inconsistencies were also evident around the calculation of the gender pay gap and authorities’ understanding of the causes and types of occupational segregation.
The findings of the 2015 assessment showed that of those public authorities assessed, compliance with PSED has largely regressed, with the majority of organisations having lower overall scores than in the 2013 assessment. Just under a third achieved an improved score. Similar themes were identified, indicating a need for public authorities to renew their focus on work to meet the duty.
We have used the findings of this work, alongside learning from work done with individual organisations to develop updated guidance on the duty as it relates to gender and employment. It is hoped in being responsive to the experiences of public authorities this guidance will assist with the development and implementation of work to meet the duty, and improved reporting in the future.
It is important to acknowledge that gender inequality exists, and is perpetuated by gender-blind policies that fail to account for the different needs of women and men. Women’s inequality is not only an issue for female employees and their families. Barriers to men’s and women’s participation in stereotypically gendered occupations, and to women achieving the most senior posts, mean that employers cannot be assured that they are recruiting the most skilled and talented people to specific areas of their organisation.
Employers who take steps to address gender inequalities benefit from a more productive, loyal and motivated workforce. Diverse workforces bring a range of skills and experience to an organisation. This diversity of thought makes an organisation more creative, more innovative, and more attuned to the needs of all service users. Action on equalities therefore has the potential to drive excellence in service delivery.
Although the new guidance focuses on gender and employment, it covers fundamental principles such as mainstreaming, impact assessment, and the process data gathering, analysis and use. Public authorities may therefore find this guidance useful when considering these principles in relation to service delivery, or other protected characteristics.
The new PSED guidance can be found here. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the guidance please get in touch with us at info@closethegap.org.uk. We are also offering free training for public authorities on this new guidance. Further information and registration details can be found here.
FREE training for public authorities on the public sector equality duty
This week Close the Gap is launching new guidance for public authorities on the public sector equality duty, as it relates to gender and employment. This guidance will cover fundamental principles such as mainstreaming, impact assessment, and the process of data gathering, analysis and use, alongside equal pay and occupational segregation.
In advance of this launch, we are inviting public authorities to register to attend one of our free training sessions based on this new guidance. Training sessions will be held in the following locations:
Glasgow: Wednesday 7th September 2016, 9.30am-2.00pm
IET Glasgow: Teacher Building - REGISTER HERE
Inverness: Monday 12th September 2016, 10.30am-3.00pm
Eden Court - REGISTER HERE
Edinburgh: Friday 16th September 2016, 9.30am-3.00pm
The Melting Pot - REGISTER HERE
Dundee: Tuesday 20th September 2016, 9.30am-3.00pm
Dundee Contemporary Arts - REGISTER HERE
All four training sessions will cover the same content, therefore please only register for one event. Engender will be joining the training in Edinburgh and Dundee to deliver an additional session on gender and service delivery. This will be a participatory session which will inform the development of their new PSED guidance on gender and service delivery.
Lunch will be provided. Please let us know of any dietary or accessibility requirements when registering to attend.
July's News Roundup
The end of the month sneaked up on us in July; like an end-of-semester pop quiz on feminist economics, it was suddenly upon us and we were entirely unprepared (only kidding, we're *always* prepared for that kind of pop quiz). So, even though it's August already, we have pulled together all of the most interesting news and views of the last month for your perusal. Just in time for that Monday afternoon biscuit break you were hankering for. We'd recommend a Nice biscuit (remember those?). Go on.
In politics and business, women are usually left to clean up the mess
BACS become first payment scheme to sign charter on gender
equality following the Gadhia Review
More women needed at the top: What the UK can learn from
Canada
A professional’s perspective on sexism in the music industry
Nicola Sturgeon’s open letter to EU citizens living in
Scotland
What employment law might look like under the new Prime
Minister
What happened when Close the Gap and Engender visited the UN
Dr Katharina Sarter awarded prestigious Rhonda Williams
prize in economics
And most exciting opportunity of the month goes to:
June's News Roundup
You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the actual weekend, but you can get that Friday feeling now with our women and work news roundup for June. Extra added bonus for all those suffering newsfeed fatigue - this post contains 0% Brexit. but we can't promise it won't inspire consternation for other reasons. Choice topics include the insidious impact of gender stereotyping on girls, and advice being given to employers to allow their employees to work flexibly so they can watch the football (who knew those trying to balance work and caring responsibilities had their priorities so wrong?). No need to break out the wildfire yet, as there are *some* things to be cheerful about, with HE pay rises to tackle the professorial gender pay gap, and Police Scotland introducing the hijab to their uniform. Refill your favourite slogan-emblazoned mug and have a read.
Scottish Government publishes report on gender pay gap
Storify of the review of the UK by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Engender’s shadow report to CESCR
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre launches new website
Do we give girls a real choice?
SPICe briefing on Universal Credit
Call for Holyrood to use new social security powers to mitigate impact of austerity on women
New report reveals women comprise 23% of boards, but just 14% of exec board seats
Council ordered to pay pension costs of hundreds of women it underpaid
MPs announce inquiry into women's workwear after woman sent home for refusing to wear high heels
Police Scotland introduce hijab to uniform to address low number of female Muslim police officers
Stop telling women they need to negotiate harder
And our favourite this month, this smashing piece:
Uncovered: the forgotten stories of Scotland's trailblazing female scientists
Events: Scotland & UK
In this post you will find a selection of up and coming events and programmes relating to gender equality and women's participation in the labour market.
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Close the Gap
She works hard for the money - how gender budgeting can promote women's equality in Scotland
Tuesday 7th June 10am - 4pm
Venue: The Glasgow Women's Library, Glasgow
FREE
In partnership with Engender and the Scottish Women's Budget Group, Close the Gap Over will be co-hosting an event about gender budgeting. This event will give participants the chance to find out more about the work of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, and the opportunity find out how they can get more involved.
Speakers include, Dr Angela O’Hagan, convenor of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, and Emma Ritch, Executive Director of Engender.
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Engender
Women and the EU: discussion workshop
Venue: North West Women's Centre - Glasgow
FREE
Join Engender, learn more about how staying in or leaving the EU might affect women in Scotland. This workshop will provide an opportunity for discussion on how women can get involved in the debate over the EU referendum, and what the key issues are for women.
No need to book. Lunch provided.
Women and the EU: Debate
Tuesday 21st June 12.30 - 14.30
Venue: North West Women's Centre - Glasgow
Join the North West Women’s Centre and representatives from the ‘Scotland Stronger In’ and ‘Vote Leave’ campaigns for a debate about whether we should stay in the EU, and what that might mean for women.
No need to book. Lunch provided.
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EQUATE SCOTLAND
Taking positive action to build your talent pipeline
15 June 09.45- 13.00
Venue: Glasgow: Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling University, FK9 4LA
FREE
This half-day seminar aimed at employers in the engineering sector. The day focuses on how you can take positive action to address the gender imbalance in engineering and attract more women into the sector. Participants will hear from employers who have taken action - by offering work-based placements and returnships, the women they’ve supported, and a legal expert will provide guidance.
Find out more about this event or Book for this event
Celebrate National Women in Engineering Day
23 June 19.00 - 21.00
Venue: Glasgow: IET Glasgow: Teacher Building, 14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB
FREE
To mark this year’s National Women in Engineering Day, Equate Scotland is once again joining forces with WES Scotland and hosting an evening networking event in Glasgow. ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’ will give you the chance to hear from a panel of invited speakers, with opportunities for networking.
Find out more about this event or book this event
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Center for Gender History
Who Cares? Gender, care-provision and inequality.
3 June 09.00 - 17.00
Venue: Glasgow Women's Library - Glasgow
FREE
One-day public engagement workshop,exploring the links between gender, care-provision and inequality, past and present. It will bring together academics, representatives from the public sector and the voluntary sector, and women's rights campaigners, in order to combine historical and current perspectives on the range of possible arrangements for fulfilling one of society’s basic human needs: care.
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Napier University
Tackling inequality in the labour market: what works
10 June 10.00 - 13.00
Venue: The Rivers Suite, Edinburgh Napier University, Craiglockhart campus - Edinburgh
FREE
This workshop will hear from a range of speakers about the important role employers can take in tackling these inequalities in the labour market and some of the approaches currently being adopted by a variety of employers in Scotland. It will give insights as to which approaches work best and why in terms of achieving sustained change. These discussions will be underpinned by research on a range of key sectors in the economy, which has been undertaken by researchers at Edinburgh Napier University.
Speakers will include: KPMG; Business in the Community Scotland; Flexiworkforce; City of Edinburgh Council; Oxfam; and the Fair Work Directorate at Scottish Government.
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Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre
40th Anniversary fundraising night
1st July 19.30 - Late
Venue: Blackfriars Bar - Glasgow
Cost - £5
Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. There will be a DJ, raffle prizes and special prize draw on the night.
Mammoth fundraising book sale
30 July 11.00 - 16.00
Venue: The Spoon Cafe, Albion street- Glasgow
FREE
Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre will be hosting a fundraising book sale to help mark their 40th anniversary. The sale will be opened by GRCC patron and award winning author Denise Mina. All kinds of books will be on sale from children’s books to gardening to thrillers to politics. Come along to browse and buy – and the café will be open so you can stay for tea and cake. Please share to show your support and to help GRCC raise funds! All welcome.
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Scottish Refugee Council
International women groups presents 'Open hearts, open doors'
4 June 11.00- 16.00
Venue: Bishopbriggs Free Church of Scotland, 13 Auchinairn Rd - Glasgow
FREE
Part of the Refugee Festival Scotland, this event includes stories and photos of the high rise flats, and the welcoming of the Jewish refugees after the Second World War. Celebrating the contribution of women to history, all women welcome.
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WISE - Women in Science and Engineering
A wide range of events across the UK from small workshops through training courses to major conferences. See more information
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