Expert women’s organisations call for action on the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work committee gender pay gap inquiry

Close the Gap has co-ordinated a joint response from gender equality organisations in Scotland to the recent Scottish Parliament Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee inquiry report into the gender pay gap.

Close the Gap, Equate Scotland, Engender, Scottish Women’s Aid and Zero Tolerance have welcomed the committee’s report, which reinforces the economic imperative of closing the gender pay gap. Research by Close the Gap last year identified that closing the gender gap in employment could add up to £17bn to Scotland’s economy.

The pay gap is a cause of women’s economic inequality, and women’s financial independence. The link between women’s economic inequality, and violence against women is explicitly acknowledged in Equally Safe, Scotland’s violence against women strategy, and this analysis underpins the strategy’s primary prevention approach.

Expert women’s organisations are calling for action on 12 of the committee’s recommendations as priorities. Read the joint response here.