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May's news roundup
There's a lot to talk about in this month's news roundup. We've had gendered expectations around clothing, from the playground to the workplace; concerns around the lack of progress towards gender diversity in the boardroom, the police force, and government; and the latest ONS data has revealed the value of unpaid work in the UK economy (overwhelmingly done by women) to be a staggering £1trillion! We've pulled together all of this month's stories relating to women and employment just in time for your Tuesday teabreak.
Consulate fined £2000 for discriminating against mother during job interview
UK could add £10.1bn to economy by tackling the challenges women face to starting a business
Police Scotland chief 'worried' as two new senior posts attract no female candidates
New research from Highlands and Islands Enterprise on attitudes & aspirations of young people in H&I
Scottish Enterprise hold roundtable event on improving boardroom diversity
Women and Equalities Committee launches sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools inquiry
EHRC launches its new campaign to help young pregnant women know their rights at work
Everything you wanted to know about gender budgeting but were afraid to ask
Work dress codes, high heels, and patent sexism
Female temp worker sent home from PwC office without pay for not wearing high heels to work
Close the Gap’s blogpost on our latest gender pay gap statistics paper
Citizens Advice records 25% rise in pregnancy & maternity discrimination
Trio of lawyers who broke glass ceiling hit out at culture of inequality still persisting
And topping the 'ugh' charts this month
Everything you ever wanted to know about gender budgeting but were afraid to ask
Have you ever wondered who benefits from public spending decisions? Women use public services to a greater degree than men, but does that mean they benefit in equal or greater measure from the public purse?
Historically, government spending decisions are viewed as gender-neutral, and it is often assumed that women and men benefit equally. We know, however, that structural inequalities are still embedded in society and women do not enjoy equal access to resources. As a result, budget decisions more often than not have an unintended, differential impact on women and men.
Gender budgeting aims to raise awareness of the different impacts on women and men of publicly funded policies and programmes. It seeks to integrate gender analysis into economic policy and government spending plans.
This means examining how the allocation of public funds affects the economic and social opportunities of women and men; a process which provides strong evidence to support a more gender equal budgetary process, and equality of outcomes for women and men.
New Working Paper on Scotland's gender pay gap
Close the Gap has recently published its most recent working paper on gender pay gap statistics with a specific analysis of Scotland’s gender pay gap.
The paper uses the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) tables to calculate the average difference in pay between women and men working in Scotland.
The overall mean gender pay gap has remained high at 14.8% for Scotland, meaning that women on average earn 85p for every £1 men earn.
The part-time pay gap has increased by over 1 percentage point to 33.5%. The part-time pay gap is calculated by comparing part-time women’s average earnings to men’s average full-time earnings, and is illustrative of the concentration of part-time work in undervalued low paid work such as cleaning, admin, caring and retail.
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.
April's news roundup
It has been a busy month in the land of women and work, with stories focussing on the early presence and impact of gender stereotyping in children and young people's lives, discrimination in employment contracts and hiring processes, women's organisation's voices in the upcoming Scottish Election, and the economic benefits of gender equality. We've pulled them together here, in one handy post, for all your gender and employment news needs.
Is it time for a women’s trade union?
The gender pay gap never quits: it won’t even stop working when you do
'Boys will be boys': Are gender stereotypes harming Scottish children?
EHRC find new junior doctor contract discriminates against female medics and is potentially illegal
Just one in five films made in Europe is directed by a woman
Workplace health and safety risks force pregnant women and mothers to quit jobs
Sixteen women’s organisations sign up to Engender’s call for single payments of Universal Credit
Women’s organisations warn switch to Universal Credit will trap women in abusive relationships
Paypal hold all-male panel on gender equality in the workplace
Economy could be £17bn better off by eliminating the gender gap, Close the Gap report finds
Engender launch new paper on Scottish parliament election asks on violence against women
Nicola Sturgeon pledges to impose penalties on councils dragging their feet on equal pay claims
Discrimination, “choice”, and the gender pay gap
Middle class feminism has a blind spot over female cleaners
Only one fifth of working women in Scotland are employed in STEM
Women’s Budget Group publish comprehensive gender assessment of the UK 2016 Budget
Research shows only a tiny proportion of new fathers are opting for shared parental leave
The role of early years professionals in tackling gender stereotypes
Female architects speak out on industry sexism in tributes to Zaha Hadid
Extent of gender stereotyping laid bare in short film depicting primary school children’s drawings
And finally, taking the biscuit this month we have:
New Close the Gap research finds women’s labour market equality worth £17bn to the Scottish economy
Last week we launched our new research report, Gender Equality Pays. The research, which reviews evidence of the economic case for addressing women’s labour market equality, was carried out by Emily Thomson at Women in Scotland’s Economy research centre at Glasgow Caledonian University.
It revisits and updates previous research by Close the Gap in 2007 which examined the link between actions to advance gender equality and profit at the organisational level.
Gender Equality Pays identifies clear and mounting 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 highlights a flourishing of evidence in three key areas:
- The correlation between gender balance at senior level, and improved corporate and financial performance.
- The business benefits of providing flexible or agile working;
- The macroeconomic gains where women's under-used skills are more effectively utilised across the labour market, particularly in sectors which are characterised by occupational segregation.
Crucially, closing the gender gap in employment could be worth more than £17bn to the Scottish economy.
The report also includes case studies of companies that are already benefiting from taking actions to advance women’s equality.
The findings come at a critical time. The restructuring of Scotland’s labour market since the Great Recession has entrenched the gendered inequalities in labour market participation, particularly in relation to underemployment. Women’s employment in general has become more precarious through an increase in redundancies, temporary work and zero hour contracts.
To close the gender gap in employment, we need programmes of work from policymakers at all levels which target the gendered barriers to the labour market. We also need to employers make meaningful changes to workplace policies and practices. Because the clear message from the growing evidence base is that gender equality pays. For women, business, and the economy.
Read the report here.
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