Blog
The Living Wage is key if we are to tackle women’s in-work poverty
Living Wage Week is an opportunity to recognise the importance of the Living Wage in tackling women’s poverty and realising fair work for women. Women account for the majority of low-paid workers in Scotland, and two-thirds of workers being paid less than the Living Wage are women. Low pay is a critical factor in the gender pay gap and also reflects the continued undervaluation of “women’s work” in sectors such as social care and childcare.
We're hiring!
Close the Gap is recruiting for the role of Communications and Administration Assistant. The successful applicant will be responsible for co-ordinating Close the Gap social media channels and websites, supporting wider communications work and providing administrative support.
New guidance for local government on supporting women at work during Covid-19
Challenge Poverty Week: What COVID-19 means for young women’s in-work poverty
One of the themes of this year’s
Challenge Poverty Week is work and jobs, with the key message that tackling
poverty requires investment in decent work. This is particularly important for women,
as women’s experience of the labour market is
directly linked to their higher rates of poverty. This means women’s concentration in low-paid,
undervalued work is a key cause of women’s increased likelihood of experiencing
in-work and persistent poverty.
This year, these issues are more pertinent than ever with COVID-19 job
disruption having a disproportionate impact on low-paid women, Black and
minority ethnic women and young women’s employment. This is particularly
significant as these groups of women were already more likely to be
experiencing in-work poverty prior to the crisis. COVID-19 has therefore placed
these women, and their children, at even greater risk of poverty, adding to a
growing child poverty crisis.
We are recruiting new trustees to our board!
We are looking for new people to join our fantastic board of trustees.
Our joint response to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery report
Close the Gap and Engender have published a joint response to the report of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (AGER), which was convened by Scottish Government to provide advice on Scotland’s economic recovery once the immediate emergency has subsided. Specifically the group was tasked with advising on measures to support different sector and regional challenges the economy will face in recovery; and how business practice will change as a result of Covid-19, including opportunities to operate differently and how Government policy can help the transition towards a greener, net-zero and wellbeing economy.
Free webinar on gender and economic recovery
Following the publication of our 9 principles for an economic recovery that work for women, Close the Gap and Engender are hosting a webinar to discuss how to ensure that Scotland's economic recovery does not leave women behind. The webinar is free and you can register here.
Think Business, Think Equality: New guidance for SMEs on supporting staff affected by domestic abuse during COVID-19
Equally Safe at Work: new guidance on violence against women and work during COVID-19
50 years on, what will it take to realise equal pay for equal work?
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Equal Pay Act, which guarantees equal pay for equal work for both women and men. Coronavirus aside, the world now looks very different than it did fifty years ago. We have seen some important steps towards closing the pay gap, however we are still a long way away from true equality for women. One place where this is acutely clear is the value attributed to women’s work.
Disproportionate disruption: New Close the Gap report shows women will be harder hit by COVID-19 job disruption
Much analysis has been published detailing the anticipated labour market impacts of COVID-19 including the predicted “jobs recession”. However, to date there has been a lack of focus afforded to the specific impacts on women’s employment. Our latest briefing highlights that women will experience disproportionate labour market disruption as a result of the pandemic.
Women, work and COVID-19: the stark implications for women’s poverty
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, poverty in Scotland was gendered. Women were more likely to be in poverty; more likely to experience in-work poverty; and were more likely to experience persistent poverty than men.
Are you a BME woman? Participate in an event to shape solutions to BME women’s inequality at work.
Last year, Close the Gap published research on Black and minority ethnic (BME) women’s experiences of employment in Scotland. We are now developing a set of recommendations for employers to address the problems raised in the research and we are looking for BME women to get involved.
Lockdown on the gender pay gap
The world
looks very different than it did a year ago, even a month ago. The impact of
COVID-19 is widespread and has implications for every part of society, with specific impacts on women’s
labour market inequality and wider inequality. One casualty of the UK Government’s response to the coronavirus crisis is employer gender pay gap reporting. While this may not seem like a priority in the current circumstances, women’s pre-existing inequality means women are more at risk as they are the majority of frontline workers spearheading the response to the virus and are doubly impacted by increased caring responsibilities as childcare and social care provision dries up. For those women in precarious employment these additional responsibilities are even harder to accommodate due to variable hours and a lack of sick pay, increasing their insecurity in these already challenging times.
Coronavirus brings new focus to women’s continued workplace inequality
The impacts of COVID-19 are being felt by us all, with huge changes transpiring across our working lives and beyond. At this stage, coronavirus is not just a health crisis, but an economic crisis that will have long-term implications. The longer-term consequences will impact women’s equality by exacerbating pre-existing inequalities, particularly where our response is not well-gendered.
Close the Gap research finds that fixed term contracts are amplifying the inequalities and disadvantage that women face in the tech industry
At Close the Gap, we’ve started exploring how automation and the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ will drive changes in women’s experiences of work. To date, despite automation being something of a hot topic, little attention has been afforded to the impact on women’s employment specifically.
New legislation puts gender equality at the heart of the Scottish National Investment Bank
Facilitating changes in policy can be a slow process, and it’s often very difficult to measure your impact and success. So, when your advocacy has a clear and tangible impact, we don’t think it should pass without note!
The detrimental impact domestic abuse has on women’s employment
The 25th of November marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism for the elimination of violence against women and girls, an international campaign dedicated to raising awareness that violence against women is an enduring social problem.
RSS