Blog
EVENTS: Scotland and UK wide
In this post you will find a selection of up and coming events and programmes relating to gender and women's participation in the labour market.
HUMAN RIGHTS CONSORTIUM SCOTLAND
Applying Human Rights in Scotland - Free training for NGOs
This free training is for Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are interested in learning more about human rights principles and standards which apply in Scotland. Organisations involved in social care, combatting poverty, housing and access to justice may find this particularly useful.
Friday, 11th April, STIRLING, 9.30am – 1pm
Tuesday, 15th April, GLASGOW, 9.30am – 1pm
Wednesday, 16th April, EDINBURGH, 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Tuesday, 22nd April, INVERNESS, 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Thursday, 24th April, DUMFRIES, 1.30pm – 4.30pm
This training is designed to build knowledge and capacity on human rights so that people routinely use human rights standards in their work and raise discussions about the equal enjoyment of human rights in everyday places. We also want to encourage and enable members to raise the practical application of human rights in Scotland during the referendum debate. Whatever the outcome of the vote, we hope that respect for human rights will be better mainstreamed in the design, delivery and funding of public services in Scotland. http://digbig.com/5bjsgq
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Scottish Women’s Convention
SCOTLAND’S REFERENDUM
Do
you have enough information to make an informed decision?
Have the two campaigns addressed your issues?
Come along to this FREE event on Saturday 12th April 201, 10am - 1pm
Queens Hotel
160 Nethergate
Dundee, DD1 4DU
There will be representatives from both Better Together and YES Scotland
Lunch provided
To Register
Telephone: 0141 339 4797
or Email: info@scottishwomensconvention.org
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Scottish Resource Centre for Women in SET
Developing and Supporting Your Female STEM Staff and Students Wednesday, 14th May 2014, Edinburgh Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus, 219 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1DJ
This inspiring one day conference organised by the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in SET will address the key issues around gender in STEM education and employment, focussing on outcomes set by the Scottish Funding Council and highlighting the actions and measures that higher education institutions are taking.
Aimed at academic staff and human resources professionals, the event will highlight how HEIs can increase diversity in their STEM workforce, making use of the Athena Swan Charter and sharing practice on developing female STEM staff and students.
We have an exceptional line up of guest speakers who will share with you their expertise including:
- Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice Chancellor, Edinburgh Napier University
- Professor Alice Brown, Chair, Scottish Funding Council
- Professor Lesley Yellowlees, Vice-Principal University of Edinburgh and President of theRoyal Society of Chemistry
- Professor Yvonne Galligan, Queens University Belfast
- Dr Sean McWhinnie, Oxford Research & Policy
The event also comprises 3 interactive workshops covering:
- Taking action to support your students
- Sharing ideas to progress your Athena Swan Action Plan
- Supporting the career development of female researchers
Please note delegates will have the opportunity to attend two out of the three workshops.
Register Now
The event is free. However, registrations are being taken to confirm your attendance, workshop selections, special access and dietary requirements.
All enquiries regarding the event should be made to Joanna Glenfield on 0131 455 2267 or email j.glenfield@napier.ac.uk
________________________________________________________________________________________________Engender
Engender hosts a range of conferences, seminars, round-tables and discussions to explore women’s inequality, and share strategies to challenge it.
Some of events are members only, but all are welcome at their public events.
Inspiring Women: Intersectionality
May 17, 2014, 11.00 – 13.30
The Melting Pot, Edinburgh
Only members can book this event. If you are a member of Engender, please sign in now to book.
Inspiring Women events bring Engender members together consider and discuss feminist issues. They are women only spaces, and give women the opportunity to talk about their own ideas and perspectives.
This Inspiring Women will be discussing intersectionality. The concept of intersectionality came from Kimberle Crenshaw, an academic scholar, in 1989. It describes the connections between different forms of oppression such as sexism, racism, ableism, classism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia and the need to recognise that these are interconnected and cannot be considered separately.
This session allows Engender members the opportunity to get together to discuss how intersectional approaches would be useful for Scottish feminism in 2014, and to identify any challenges that intersectionality presents.
Inspiring Women: Masculinities
September 20, 2014, 11.00 – 13.00
Room 3, STUC, Glasgow
Only members can book this event. If you are a member of Engender, please sign in now to book.
Inspiring Women events bring Engender members together consider and discuss feminist issues. They are women only spaces, and give women the opportunity to talk about their own ideas and perspectives.
This Inspiring Women will be discussing masculinities.
Masculinities and men are not the same thing. Masculinities refer to gender relations, the position of men and how people engage with that position. It is a commonly held belief that masculinity is innate and cannot be changed but there is significant evidence that there are multiple masculinities and that these change over time and that they are subject to influence.
This session gives Engender members an opportunity to reflect on the predominant masculinities in Scotland to day and how feminists can best engage with theories and practice around masculinities.
Inspiring Women: Pornography and new media
November 15, 2014, 11.00 – 13.00
The Melting Pot, Edinburgh
Only members can book this event. If you are a member of Engender, please sign in now to book.
Inspiring Women events bring Engender members together consider and discuss feminist issues. They are women only spaces, and give women the opportunity to talk about their own ideas and perspectives.
This Inspiring Women will be discussing pornography and new media.
The rise of the Internet and increased use of social media has provided millions of consumers with the opportunity to purchase and view pornography almost anonymously, and to share and abuse personal images.
This session offers an opportunity for Engender members to discuss the implications and consequences of pornography in the digital age.
Gender and 'Welfare Reform' in Scotland
Close the Gap has recently been involved in the development of a joint position paper on gender and welfare reform in Scotland. This important piece of work was led by Engender, Scotland’s gender equality organisation, in response to steadily increasing alarm at the impact of the UK government’s welfare reform programme on women in Scotland.
The paper looks at the existing gender inequalities, and finds that women’s unequal position in economic, political and social spheres is set to become further entrenched as a result of welfare reform. Women are facing a unique double jeopardy under the new regime of sanctions introduced by Job Centres. Faced with pressure to participate in employability activity that is supposed to move them closer to the labour market, but unable to secure childcare to allow them to meet the requirements of the programme, women will find themselves subject to sanction.
Close the Gap is also concerned that if employability programmes fail to recognise or include strategies to mitigate occupational segregation, they will simply perpetuate the existing gendered segregation in the Scottish labour market. It is essential that gender issues are mainstreamed into employability and related support services from the outset to avoid this.
This joint paper summarises the way welfare reform will impact on women living in Scotland, and makes recommendations to the Scottish Government on how to mitigate the impact of these changes. It also highlights stories that are emerging from women’s organisations and groups about the impacts of reforms.
Engender, Scottish Women’s Aid, Close the Gap and Scottish Refugee Council are holding an event on Wednesday 2nd April at the Scottish Parliament to launch this paper. You can register for this event here.
Gender and 'Welfare Reform' in Scotland: A Joint Position Paper
Close the Gap newsround (44)
This edition for March captures articles related to the gender pay gap and its causes, including pay discrimination and occupational segregation.
New working paper: Shifting the Balance? Exploring the trade union responses to tackling gendered occupational segregation
Close the Gap has recently launched a new working paper, Shifting the Balance? Exploring the trade union responses to tackling gendered occupational segregation, which aims to assess what work is being undertaken by trade unions to address occupational segregation.
This paper reveals that a small minority of trade unions have been involved in preliminary small-scale efforts to engage on the issue of occupational segregation, but that these efforts are not part of a strategic programme to tackle the issue. Although there is some awareness of the issues around occupational segregation amongst some unions, there is a great need to raise awareness of the issue and its wider impact on women and workplaces.
The paper was launched at an event on 18 February 2014 at the STUC and prompted extensive discussion among the delegates. At the event we heard from Equality Officer Lee James about ASLEF’s campaign to address the under-representation of women among train drivers. Concerns over the lack of diversity within the driving grade prompted ASLEF to fund the independent ‘On Track with Diversity’ Report in 2012. ASLEF have used the report as a lever to open dialogue with train operating companies regarding joint working over their recruitment processes, and they have also been involved in positive discussions over part time working, which is a fundamental shift for the industry.
There is scope for unions to do a lot more on occupational segregation, and any activity must be much more strategic, with measurable outcomes, if women are to achieve equality in the workplace. The paper discusses the causes and impacts of occupational segregation, the challenges facing trade unions in addressing it, and presents examples of individual union activity on the issue.
Close the Gap has also identified a number of opportunities for trade unions to engage on work around occupational segregation. If you would like more information on how you can get involved please contact us.
Hard copies are available from acallaghan@stuc.org.uk
Close the Gap pays tribute to Professor Ailsa McKay
Close the Gap staff and steering group members are deeply saddened by the death of Professor of Ailsa McKay, Chair of the Close the Gap steering group.
Ailsa was a leading feminist economist who contributed immeasurably to the drive for gender equality in Scotland, and beyond. She was a Professor of Economics at Glasgow Caledonian University, where she established the Women in Scotland’s Economy Research Centre. She was a founding member of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group and the European Gender Budget Network. As a member of the Equality Budget Advisory Group, she had a profound impact on the Scottish budget process. She was also instrumental in developing the economic case for free, universal childcare in Scotland.
Close the Gap was privileged to have Ailsa chair its steering group. She provided an invaluable insight intogender budgeting, welfare economics, childcare, and the economics of occupational segregation. She was dedicated to sharing her knowledge of economics and passionate about changing the lives of women in Scotland.
She will be missed by all who strive for a society where women’s contribution to the economy is counted, and valued.
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