the role and contribution of women in the scottish …...the role and contribution of women in the...

a The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

womenomics: Scotlandn. The theory that women play a primary role in economic growth

b The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

i The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Foreword from Professor Lesley Sawers ii

Introduction from the Secretary of State for Scotland iii

Executive Summary v

1. Background 21.1 Definition 2

2. Review Scope 4

3. Methodology 6

4. Scottish Women and the Economy 8KeyFindings 84.1 EmploymentandInactivity 94.2 TheGenderPayGap 114.3 EducationandSkills 134.4 Family,CareRolesandUnpaidRoles 14Conclusions 16

5. The Scottish Gender Ecosystem 18KeyFindings 185.1 TheScottishGenderEcosystem 18Conclusions 20

6. The Business Evidence Base 24KeyFindings 246.1 WhatisHappeningandWhatDoWeKnow? 246.2 WomeninLeadership 266.3 Women’sEntrepreneurship 286.4 TheNordicExperience 29Conclusions 32

7. The Thousand Voices 34KeyFindings 347.1 Methodology 347.2 ConsultationsandDiscussions 34Conclusions 387.3 SurveyResults 38

8. Final Conclusions and Recommendations 468.1 Conclusions 468.2 Recommendations:DeliveringtheChange 47

9. References 54

Appendix A: UK and Scotland: Additional Background 56

Appendix B: Survey Questions 60

Contents

ii The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Foreword from Professor Lesley Sawers

Thecurrentfocusonequalitiesandtheroleandcontributionofwomentotheeconomyandtobusinessgrowthisbothtimelyandwelcome.

Sinceenteringtheworkforceoverthirtyyearsago,likemanyotherwomen,Ihavewitnessedveryslowprogressontheissuesandchallengesfacedbywomenintheircareersandincaringroles.Thisviewisonesharedbymanyothers,bothmenandwomen,whoincreasinglyrecognisethatweneedachangeinattitudes,cultureandworkplacepracticeifwearetounlockthefulleconomicpotentialofourpopulation.TheseindividualsarethemselvescommittedtotheprinciplesofwomenomicsandtheeconomicbenefitsandbusinesscontributionthatgenderequalitycandeliverbothtotheworkplaceandtheScottisheconomy.

ThisReviewhasfocusedonunderstandingtheroleandcontributionofwomenintheScottisheconomy,butmostimportantly,Ihavesoughttouse,applyanddevelopthebodyofevidencethatexiststoidentifyanactionplanandseriesofrecommendationsthatwilldeliverlastingchangeforgenerations.ThisactionplanhasbeendevelopedthroughdiscussionandconsultationwithmanyworkingwomenacrossScotland.Indevelopingthisplan,Iacknowledgetheworkofmanyotherswhohavebuiltthebodyofevidenceanddata.IwouldalsoliketothankthosebusinessesandorganisationsacrossScotlandwhohavesharedtheirviewsandgenderknowledgewithme.Mostimportantly,IwishtothankthemanywomenacrossScotlandwhohavegiventheirtime,sharedtheirissues,hopesandambitionsandgivenmeawindowintotheirfamilyandworkinglives.Theirvoicesneedtobeaddedtothegrowingbodyofwomenomicsevidence.

IamgratefulforthesupportofAlistairCarmichaelMP,SecretaryofStateforScotland,inallowingmetoundertakethisReviewasamemberofhisScottishBusinessBoard.IwouldalsoliketothankmyfellowScottishBusinessBoardmembers,whohavesharedtheirexpertiseandcontributeddirectlytothebusinessandsectorevidencecollected.

IwouldliketoacknowledgethesupportIreceivedfromtheScotlandOfficeteamunderthedirectionofMargaretPorteous.SpecificmentionneedstobemadeofTereasaBell,JenniferStaermose-Johnson,SvenBaazandStephenGildea.AndIwouldalsoliketothankJaneGottsforhercontributiontothiswork.CompletingthisReviewinthetimescalesestablishedwasdueinlargeparttotheireffortsandsupport.

Ultimately,ItakeresponsibilityforitscontentandtheConclusionsandRecommendationsmade.However,IhopethatthisReviewwillbeseenasthestartingpointfor“DeliveringtheChange”throughabusiness-focusedActionPlanthatcanmoreeffectivelyleverageallthetalentsofwomentohelpgrowanddeveloptheScottisheconomy.

Professor Lesley Sawers

March2015

iii The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Introduction from the Secretary of State for Scotland

Thecreationofafairandprosperoussociety,basedonsustainableeconomicgrowth,isthekeyaspirationthatdrivescoalitionGovernmenteconomicpolicies.

Weshouldnot,however,beblindtothefactthatwearesomewayfromachievingthatgoal.Formanywomeninparticular,disadvantageanddiscriminationareafactoflifeintheworkplace.Thatmustchange.

ThegenesisofthisreportlayinaroundtablediscussionintheScotlandOfficetomarkInternationalWomen’sDay2014.Thoseparticipantscamefromawiderangeofbackgroundsbutallhadasimilartaletotell.Itwasoneoffrustrationatabusinesssystemandcommunitythatfailedtorecognisegenderinequalityasarealissue.Asthediscussionprogressed,itwasclearthattherewasamissinglink.Thereisamultiplicityofinstitutionsacross(andbeyond)governmentbutnoonewasprovidingtheholisticandstrategicview.ThatwashowLesleySawers’Reviewwasborn.

InScotland,wehaveaskilled,talentedanddynamicworkforcethatshouldbewell-placedtoparticipateinandtodeliverprosperity–butthisneedstobetruefortheentireworkforce.Soitisimperativethatwerecognise,understandandsupporttherolethatwomenplayindrivingthateconomicgrowth,andthecomplexstrandsinwomen’sworkinglivesthataffecttheirroleandpotential.

TheissuewasadoptedbytheScottishBusinessBoardasoneoftheirkeydiscussiontopicsandIamfortunatethatProfessorLesleySawersfromGlasgowCaledonianUniversity,oneoftheBoardMembers,agreedtoleadanindependentreviewintothisveryimportantandcomplexarea.

Overthepastsixmonths,Lesleyhasshownphenomenalcommitmenttothistask:collectingahugeamountofevidenceandknowledgeonhowwomencontributetotheeconomy.Shehas

consultedwidelyacrossScotland,examiningtheculture,behavioursandpoliciesthathelp(orhinder)women’skeyroleindrivingbusinessgrowth.

Ihavebeenprivilegedtobepartofsomeofthesesessions.Theyhaveallbeenfascinating.WhetherspeakingtoyoungprofessionalwomeninEdinburgh,femaleprofessionalsworkingintheoilandgasindustryinAberdeen,orwomenworkinginthetechnologicalandengineeringfields:allhaveprovidedaninsightthathasbeencompelling.

Iamthoroughlygratefultoallwhohavetakenpart.TheyhaveallcontributedtoapieceofworkthatIbelievewillhelptomakeprogressforfuturegovernmentsinthisareamucheasiertoachieve.

ItgoeswithoutsayingthatIamgratefultoLesleyforhereffortsinproducingthisreport,andIamgratefultoGlasgowCaledonianUniversityforallowinghertodeliverthispieceofwork.IwouldalsoechoLesley’sownthanksforthehelpandsupportshehashadfromtheScottishBusinessBoardandmembersoftheScotlandOfficeteam. WehavemaderealprogresstowardsgenderequalityintheUK.BoththeUKandScottishGovernmentsalreadyhavearangeofpoliciesandactionstacklingspecificissuessuchaslowpay,child-careprovision,boardmembershipandSTEMeducation.Therearenowmorewomeninemployment,andmorewomen-ledbusinessesthaneverbefore,andthegenderpaygapisthelowestonrecord,withwomenunder40whoworkfull-timeactuallyearningmorethanmen.ThepartnershipofGovernmentwithbusiness,workingtogetmorewomenintoseniorpositions,isalsoproducingresults:since2011,wehaveseenanincreasefrom12.5%to23.5%femalerepresentationonFTSE100boards.

iv The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Scottishindividualsandbusinessesthereforehaveaccesstoalargerangeofsupport.Butakeyconclusionofthisreportconcernstheneedformuchbettercoordinationofalltheseinitiatives.ItisincumbentonScotland’stwoGovernments,alongwiththenumerousprivateandpublicsectororganisations,toworktowardsthattrulycoordinatedapproach.

Withacontinuedwillingnesstoworktogethertotacklethecultureandbehavioursthatholdwomenbackfrommakingtheirfullcontributiontoeconomicgrowth,wecanmaximisewomen’spotentialtocontributeconfidentlyusingalltheirtalentsandopportunities.Thiswillbenefitusall.

Ioriginallycommissionedapieceofworkwhichhasbecomeareport.Infactthatreportisnottheconclusionbutismerelyasignificantstagingpostonajourneywhichwillcontinuelongafteritspublication.Ilookforwardtobeingpartofthatjourneyalongwithmanywhohavecontributedtothisreport.

Alistair CarmichaelSecretary of State for Scotland

March2015

v The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Executive Summary

ThisReviewhasanalysedandexaminedthescaleandnatureof“Womenomics”inScotland.WehavegathereddataandevidenceonkeyaspectsofwomenandtheircontributiontotheScottisheconomy.

Weknowthat:

■ Scotland’sfemaleemploymentrateis72.4%■ TheGenderPayGapis17.5%inScotland■ Wehaveanagingfemaleworkforce,with

growingcareresponsibilities,concentratedinlow-growthordecliningindustrysectors

■ OfScottish-basedcompaniesintheFTSE100,17outof66boardpositionsareheldbywomen–25%ofthetotal

■ ThereisaneedforbettercoordinationofactivityatUKGovernmentandScottishGovernmentlevelsoninitiativestosupportwomeninworkandthosewhoareself-employed

■ InScotland,menaretwiceaslikelyaswomentostartabusiness

■ TheenterprisegapforwomeninScotlandisestimatedtobe104,480businesses,or32%ofScotland’sbusinessbase,equatingtoa£13bncontributiontoGVA(ora5.3%growthintheScottisheconomy)

ThisReviewalsoconsultedandsurveyedover1,000womenandorganisations.Despitethehighestlevelsofemploymentforwomenandthelowestgenderpaygaponrecord,ourengagementwithwomenacrossScotlandhasidentifiedthattheydonotconsiderthattheyhaveyetachievedgenderequalityintheworkplace,inentrepreneurshiporinthehome.

ThisReviewthereforeconcludesthatthewomenomicspotentialinScotlandissignificant.However,toaddressthischallenge,andtounlockthepotentialtomaximisetheeconomiccontributionthatwomencanmaketotheScottisheconomy,wewillneedtoundertakearangeofspecificmeasuresandactions.

Webelievethat,withinScotland,thereisaneedtoconsiderpolicyandmeasurestoaddress threespecificareas:

1. Mainstream Attitudes and Behaviours2. Measure for Impact3. Mentor and Lead for Change

WeneedtoMainstream Attitudes and Behaviour towardsgenderandequalityintheworkplace,sothatitbecomesthewaywedobusinessorhowwemakeeconomicinvestmentdecisions,nota“women”or“feminist”issue.Similarly,weneedtochangeculturesandbehavioursinthehome,atschoolandinwidersocietysothatweneutraliseprejudiceandsocialconditioninglinkedtowork,caringrolesandcareerchoicesandmaximiselifetimeearningopportunitiesforeveryone.

Weneedto Measure for Impact byintroducing arangeofimpactmeasureslinkedtoscale andexpectedreturnoninvestmentinnationalpoliciesandprogrammestoaddressgenderinequalitiesintheworkplaceandinfemaleentrepreneurship.Weneedtoensureacoordinatedandjoined-upapproachbybothGovernmentandtheprivatesector,atRegionalandCitylevels. ThisReviewbelievesthat“ifitgetsmeasured,itgetsdone”.Wealsoneedtomeasurethescale,focusandnatureofworkplaceinnovationwithinScotland,sharingbestpracticeandknowledgeacrossprivate,public,thirdsectorsandfromacademicresources.

Weneedtoensurethat,withinthepublic,privateandthirdsectors,we Mentor and Lead for Change throughaprogrammeofsustained,accessibleandrelevantsupport,mentoringandcoachingprogrammes.Wealsoneedtodemonstrateleadershipandtohaverelevantrolemodelsatschool,workandboardroomlevel.Weneedourpublicagenciesandprivatecompaniestoprovideencouragementandsupportthroughtransparencyinpay,rolesandtrainingopportunities,andweneedtoinvestindevelopingouryoungfemalefutureleaders.

vi The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

■ Mainstreaming Womenomics: Creatinga“CollectiveCulture”anddevelopingaGenderActionPlanwithagreedtimescalesandobjectives

■ Coordinating a National Approach: NeedforJoined-UpSolutions

■ Changing Behaviours: Education,FamilyandCulture

Mainstream Attitudes and Behaviours

■ Measuring Policy Impact: DevelopaGenderEqualitiesIndex,measuringeconomicgrowthandtheimpactofgenderpolicymeasuresatNational,CityandScottishLocalAuthoritylevels

■ Return on Investment: Measuresofa“GenderDividend”shouldbeestablished,inadditiontoimpactassessments,measuringnotjustthecostofcapitalallocatedtogenderpolicymeasuresbutalsotheROI

■ Implementing a Coordinated Approach: CreatingaVirtualGenderResourceNetworkacrossScotland,linkingthroughouttheUKtosharebestpractice,knowledge,informationanddata

■ Driving Innovation: Establishacross-sectorScotland-wide“WorkplacePolicyInnovationGroup”

Measure for Impact

■ Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders: ApplicationofgenderquotasonPublicBoards,with“sunset”clausesandgreaterconsiderationofsupportingyoungerwomenintoleadershiproles

■ Developing the Talent Pipeline: “VoluntaryEqualitiesDisclosureCode”forcompaniesinScotlandinlinewithemergingUKlegislation,butgoingbeyondlegalrequirements

■ Building Confidence and Skills: Anationaljoined-upapproachtofemalementoringprogrammesandimprovedaccesstonetworks

Mentor and Lead for Change

1 The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy

Chapter1

Background


TheScottishBusinessBoard,anadvisorygroupprovidingguidanceandexpertbusinessinputtotheSecretaryofStateforScotland,alsoidentifiedgenderanditsimpactonScottishbusinessperformanceasanareathattheywouldliketoconsiderinmoredetailaspartoftheiron-goingwork.

Muchoftherecentpublicdebateandnationalpolicydiscussionhasfocusedonissueslinkedtochildcareprovision,boardquotas,femalelabourforceparticipationandbusinessstart-uprates.Whilstrecognisedasimportant,theBusinessBoarddiscussionhighlightedtheneedforawiderandcoordinatedunderstandingoftheissuesandchallengesthatconfrontwomenintheworkplacewithinScotlandinfulfillingtheirpotentialatalllevelsinsocietyandwithintheeconomy.ItwasrecognisedthattherewasaneedtobetterunderstandtheleversandsupportstructuresthatarerequiredtoaddressthesebarriersandopportunitiestoensurethatallScottishwomencanfulfiltheirpotential.

AheadofcommissioningthisReview,theSecretaryofStateforScotlandchairedtwoworkinggroupsontheimpactofgenderinScotland,exploringandexaminingtheseissues.ThesesessionswerealsocomplementedbyaroundtableheldinGlasgowduringthe2014CommonwealthGames,hostedbyJoSwinsonMP,MinisterforEmploymentRelationsandConsumerAffairsandWomenandEqualitiesMinister,focusingongenderandbusinesslegacy.

DiscussionatthesesessionsandbyBoardmembersrecognisedthelinktothewiderissuesofsocialjusticeandinequalityinrelationtoeconomicgrowth;however,itwasagreedthatthetermsofreferenceofthisReviewshouldfocusongenderintermsofitseconomicimpactandcontributiontogrowth,providingabetterunderstandingofthewiderimplicationswithinabusinessandeconomiccontext.

1.1DefinitionTheterm“womenomics”referstotheincreasingrolethatwomenarenowplaying,andwillcontinuetoplay,ineconomiclife,includingincreasedpurchasingpowerontheeconomicandculturalfront.Itsapplicationasananalysistoolrangesfromnation-statemacroeconomics,throughsectororbusinesstalentmanagementtoindividualapplicationataconsumerpurchasingbehaviourlevel.

Itsorigins,asaterm,areattributedtoKathyMatsui,aGoldmanSachsInvestmentAnalystandherteam,whoin1999coinedtheterm“womenomics”intheirseminalreportontheneedforJapantoleveragemorefullytheskills,talentandexpertiseofhalfofitspopulation.EarlierreferencescanbefoundintheUSAfrom1995,whenChrysler’sWomen’sAdvisoryCommitteenotedthatfemalesaccountedfor80%ofallconsumerspending,including$65bnonvehicles.

Inaddition,itsapplicationatabusinesslevelwascoinedbyWittenberg-Cox(2009),whoalsousedthetermwomenomicstooutlinehowbusinessesneedtobecome“savvy”inmanagingtalentandinvestinginleadership.Sheidentifiedthatagender-neutralapproachtobusinesscultures,systemsandprocessescanintegrate,developandsupportfemalecareerprogressionandimproveoverallbusinessperformance. Womenomicsisnowawidelyusedtermandisappliedatbothabusinessandeconomiclevel.

In this Review we are defining “womenomics” within the context of the Scottish economy and identifying how we can address inequality within the workplace and in economic activity. And, most importantly, how we can apply this knowledge and understanding to more effectively leverage “all the talents” of women to grow and develop the Scottish economy.

1. Background

Inrecentyearstherehasbeenarenewedfocusontheissueofequalities,andinparticularongender,theroleandcontributionofwomeninsocietyandtheirparticipationintheeconomic,civicandsocialwellbeingofthenation.ThiswasreinforcedrecentlyattheWorldEconomicForumheldinJanuary2015.

1


Chapter2

Review Scope


TheReviewhasexaminedspecificissueslinkedto:

■ Education,skillsandtraining–includingSTEM,ModernApprenticeships,careerguidance

■ Establishingbenchmarksandmeasuresforexamplewithinpay,labourforceparticipationratesandhoursworked

■ Careerandworkpatterns–bysectorandage■ Businessstart-upandentrepreneurship–

includingaccesstofinance,businesssupportandinternationalisation,personalaspiration,attainmentandlifechoices

■ Womeninleadership,includingwomenonboardsinboththepublicandprivatesectors

TheReviewhasalsosoughttoidentifyareasof“bestpractice”whereknowledgeandexperience

canbesharedacrosssectorsandorganisations,andpolicyactionsthatwillhelpaddresschallengesorsupporteconomicopportunitieslinkedtogender.

GivenexistingworkunderwaybyboththeUKandScottishGovernmentsandotherexpertgroups,thisReviewdidnotcovertheareasoffemalehealth,domesticviolence,criminalorclimatejusticeortheroleofwomenwithinthearts.However,thewiderimpactandcausalrelationshipbetweentheseareasandwidersocialinequalitieslinkedtoeconomicgrowthandperformanceisacknowledged.Inaddition,theavailabilityofinformationanddatadidnotallowustoconductadetailedanalysisonraceandethnicityandwehavethereforeidentifiedaneedforgreaterknowledgeandevidencetobecollatedforfutureresearch.

2. Review Scope2


Chapter3

Methodology


3. Methodology

TheReviewbeganinSeptember2014,ledbyProfessorLesleySawersandsupportedbyScotlandOfficeofficials.

ItinvolvedotherScottishBusinessBoardrepresentativesandselectedexternalparticipantsandgroups.ThisReviewhasdrawnheavilyfromtheknowledgebaseandexpertiseofanumberofexistingwomen’sgroups,researchers,academics,privateandpublicsectororganisationsandindividualsbothinScotlandandacrosstheUK.Ithasalsoincludedconsiderationofworkunderwayongender-relatedpolicybytheScottishGovernmentandtheUKGovernmentEqualitiesOfficeandDepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills.Thiscollaborativeapproachhasensuredthatweshareknowledge,learningsandinsightsfrompreviouseconomicpolicyworkongendertoidentifythoseareaswheremoreeffectivejointworkingandjoined-upactivitiescanbeprogressed.

Intotal,over1,000womenandorganisationsfromacrossScotlandhavecontributedtothisReview.TwelvediscussionsessionshavebeenheldacrossScotland,incitiesandruralcommunities.Wehaveconductedone-to-onemeetingsandprobedinmoredetailonspecificissuesandconcernsraisedbywomenacrossScotland.Wehavealsolookedtosupplementtheseviewswithamaleperspectivegatheredwithingroupdiscussionsandthroughindividualinterviews.

Whilstmanymalecontributorswerehappyandcomfortabletodiscusstheissuesofgenderandwomenomicsonaone-to-onebasis,ourReviewhasfoundthattoooftenissuesofgender,leadershipandcareerprogressionareseenastheresponsibilityoftheHRDepartmentorasissuesthataredelegatedtoa“seniorfemalerepresentative”todiscuss.Thisfindingsuggeststhat,withinScotland,wehavesignificantworktodotomainstreamwomenomicsintothewiderbusinessandeconomicdebateandinencouragingmentobecomechangeagentsforgenderequality.

Muchofouranalysisandrecommendationsarebasedonpubliclyavailabledataandinformation,andalsoontheviews,opinions,experiencesandinsightsofthoseindividualsandorganisationswhocontributedtothestudy.Theircandourandhonestyinsharingwithus(muchinconfidence)hasenabledtheReviewtobenefitfromarichnessofpersonalexperienceandinsightsnotpreviouslyincludedinanybusiness-ledreviewsinthisarea.

3


Chapter4

Scottish Women and the Economy


4. Scottish Women and the Economy

“…gender inequality in the labour market is the result of the wider context and circumstances of a structured system of institutions and norms in which gender plays a very important part.”

(Razzu,2014)

4

KeyFindings

■ 51%ofScotland’spopulationarefemaleand49%male

■ Scotland’sfemaleemploymentrate(16–64)is72.4%,abovetheUKaverageof68.5%

■ Scotland’sfemaleinactivityrateis24.5%(thelowestintheUK)buthigherthanmalesinScotlandat18.0%

■ Scotland’smaleunemploymentrate(16+)is6.6%comparedwithfemalesat4.1%

■ ThegenderemploymentrategaphasnarrowedinScotlandfrom10%to5%(UK9.8%)overpastfiveyears

■ Therehasbeenan8%increaseinthenumberofwomenwithsecondjobssince2008

■ Post-devolution(1999)thefemalelabourparticipationratehasbeenonanupwardtrendfrom68.4%(1999)to75.5%(2014)

■ Forallemployees(full-timeandpart-time)thegenderpaygapintheUKisthelowestonrecord19.1%(2014),19.8%(2013)and27.5%(1997).TheequivalentfigureforScotlandin2014waslowerthantheUKasawholeat17.5%

■ 55%ofstudentsinHEarefemale,and 52%inFE

■ 32%ofModernApprenticeships(MAs)traineesarefemale

■ ThemajorityoffemaleMAsareinhealthcare,socialworkorartsandcrafts

■ Ofschoolleavers,29.4%offemaleswentintoFE(26.2%ofmales)and41.3%offemalesintoHE(31.9%ofmales)

■ Thearrivalofafirstchildmarksadramatic fallinworkparticipationforwomen

■ 50%ofwomenreturntoworkwithinone yearofchildbirth,25%withinfiveyears,but10%willnothavereturnedwithineightyears

■ Thegapinearningsbetweenmenandwomenismuchgreaterwiththepresenceofchildren

■ Relativewagesforwomendeclinesteadilyfollowingfirstchildbirth

■ Thereisasharpmovementintopart-timeworkforwomenfollowingfirstbirth

■ Thereisageneraltransitionintonon-permanent,non-supervisoryrolesforwomenfollowingchildbirth

■ Thereisa“doublewhammy”genderimpactinlateryearsforfemaleworkforceparticipationrates,withagrowingolderfemaleworkforceandincreasingcaringresponsibilitiesforelderlyrelativesandgrandchildren

Within this Review we have attempted to deconstruct this complex system and consider the component parts of the Scottish female labour market linking to:

– EmploymentandInactivity – Underemployment – Self-employment– TheGenderPayGap – EducationandSkills – Family,CareRolesandUnpaidRoles


4.1EmploymentandInactivity

Therehasbeenahugechangeinwomen’slabourmarketparticipationoverthepast50years.Intheearly1960’s,45%ofwomeninScotland(aged16–64)wereinpaidemployment;in2011thisfigurewas66.5%andinDecember2014itwas72.4%.Thiscompareswith76.4%maleemploymentin2014,fallingfrom95%intheearly1960s.

In2014,thefemalelabourmarketinScotlandoutperformedtherestoftheUKintermsoftheemployment,unemploymentandinactivityrates.However,theeconomicinactivityrateforwomeninScotlandisstill6.5percentagepointshigherthanformales(24.5%asopposedto18.0%).Ofthe466,000womenwhowereclassifiedasinactive,29%gave“lookingafterfamily”or“homecommitments”asthemainreasonforinactivity.

Femaleparticipationrates–thoseinworkandthoselookingforwork–inScotlandhave

increasedsince1999,up7.1percentagepointsinthis15-yearperiod.

Similarly,thegenderemploymentgap–thedifferencebetweenmaleandfemaleemploymentrates–inScotlandhasalsobeenonadownwardtrendoverthepast20years.

TherealimprovementinScotlandseemstohavehappenedinthepastfiveyears.Thisnarrowingofgenderemploymentgapscanbepartlyexplainedbythegreaterimpactoftherecessiononsectorsthathavebeentraditionallymale-dominatedsuchasconstruction,manufacturingandtransport.Incomparison,sectorsinwhichwomendominatehavetypicallybeenmoreimmunetotheeconomiccycle,e.g.publicadministration,healthcareandeducation.Razzuetal.(2014)intheirstudyoftheimpactofeconomicrecessionsongenderconcludethatmaleandfemaleemploymentchangesdiffer“becausetheydodifferentjobs”andthat“thisdifferenceisexacerbatedduringrecessionandrecovery”.

Table1: HeadlineIndicatorsbyGenderandRegion,October–December2014

(%) Females Males

EmploymentRate(16–64)

UnemploymentRate(16+)

Inactivity Rate(16-64)

EmploymentRate(16–64)

UnemploymentRate(16+)

Inactivity Rate(16-64)

Scotland 72.4 4.1 24.5 76.4 6.6 18.0

England 68.5 5.5 27.5 78.6 5.8 16.4

Wales 65.3 6.1 30.3 73.1 7.3 21.0

NorthernIreland 62.9 5.4 33.5 72.8 6.1 22.3

UK 68.5 5.4 27.5 78.0 6.0 16.9

Source:ONS

Table2: FemaleParticipationRates(Scotland)1994–2014

Comparison Period PeriodFemale Participation Rate

(16–64)Percentage Point Change

to Latest Period

Latestdata Oct–Dec2014 75.5 +3.2

5yearsago Oct–Dec2009 72.3 +4.0

Pre-recession Oct–Dec2008 71.5 +3.3



20yearsago Oct–Dec1994 66.9

Source:ONS


Whilstthismayseemintuitive,andthenarrowingofemploymentgaps,participationratesandlabourmarketrebalancingcross-genderiswelcome(thoughnotattheexpenseofmaleemploymentactivity),thenatureofthisstructuralchangewithinthefemalelabourmarkethasitselfexacerbatedstructurallegacyissuesofoccupationalgendersegregation,lowpayandpart-timeworkingconcentrationswithinthefemalelabourmarketwithinScotland,asoutlinedlater.

Scotland Compared with the UKOverthepast12months,intermsoflabourmeasures,womeninScotlandhavefaredbetterthantheircounterpartsacrosstheUK.Theunemploymentrateforwomen,inScotland,is1.3percentagepointslowerthanacrosstheUK

(4.1%vs5.4%),whilstfemaleemploymentis3.9percentagepointshigherat72.4%asagainst68.5%forwomenacrosstheUKasawhole(SPICeLabourMarketUpdateFebruary2015).

Working PatternsLatestestimatessuggestthat26%ofpeopleaged16–64workpart-time.Whenanalysedbygender,thisshowsthat42%ofwomeninScotlandworkpart-timeand11%ofmen(AnnualPopulationSurvey2014;SPICeLabourMarketUpdateFebruary2015).Inaddition,thishighlightsthelikelihoodthatmorewomenworkpart-timeinmidandlatecareerstages,mainlyduetotheprimarychildcareandcaringrolesthosewomenperforminhouseholds.Thesepart-timejobsalsotendtobelessskilledandlowerpaid.

Table3: GenderEmploymentRateGapinScotland

Comparison Period PeriodGender Employment Rate

Gap (16–64) ScotlandPeriod UK

Gender Employment Rate Gap (16–64) UK

Latestdata Oct–Dec2014 4.0 Q42014 9.5

5yearsago Oct–Dec2009 9.4 Q42009 7.6

Pre-recession Oct–Dec2008 9.6 Q42008 11.8




Source:ONS

Table4:WomeninScotlandinPart-timeWorkbyAge(%)

Source:ONS

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%16-64 16-24 25-49 50+

42%

52%

39%

46%


WithinScotland,thenumberofpeoplewithsecondjobshasincreasedby2%,drivenprimarilybyanincreaseof8%forwomen,butadecreaseof6%formensince2008(ONSdata).

Asapercentageofthetotalworkforce,thenumberofpeoplewithsecondjobshasincreasedfrom3.9%in2008to4%in2014becauseofmorewomennowundertakingadditionalearningroles.

Inaddition,theInstituteforPublicPolicyResearchrecentlyhighlightedthetrendtowardswhattheyterm“maternalbreadwinning”(IPPR,2013).Inthispapertheyhaveidentifiedthatworkingmothersareearningasmuchas,ifnotmorethan,theirpartners.Thistrend,theybelieve,willleadtoanincreaseinwomen’semploymentrates,shiftdynamicsoffamilylifeandalsochangemaleemploymentpatternsandearnings.

Theiranalysissuggeststhat,ataUKlevel,therearenow2.2millionworkingmumswhoaremainbreadwinners,anincreaseof83%since1996–7.Theresearchalsosuggeststhat30%ofallworkingmotherswithdependentchildrenarenowtheprimarybreadwinnerfortheirfamilies,orthatassinglemotherstheyprovidethesoleincomefortheirfamilies.

WhilstthisanalysiswasnotundertakenwithinaspecificScottishlabourmarketcontext,theimplicationsofthesefindingscouldbesignificantwithrespecttolonger-termtrendswithinmaleversusfemalelabourmarketsandwilllikelyrequireareviewoftraditionalgenderstereotypingofcareandworkrolesgoingforward.

4.1.1UnderemploymentUnderemployment,withinalabourmarketcontext,isdefinedaswhenindividualsworkfewerhoursthantheywouldwishtoworkortakeonjobsthatdonotutilisealloftheirskills,andcanprovidean“indicationofunderutilisationoflabour”.TheScottishGovernmentestimatessuggestthatthishasalsobeenincreasinginrecentyears,with11.3%ofwomenwishingtoworkadditionalhoursin2011ascomparedwith10.1%in2008(Scottish

Parliament,2013).Thisisaconcerningtrend,asithighlightsthescaleofuntappedfemalepotentialwithintheScottisheconomy.

4.1.2Self-employmentIn2013therewereapproximately286,000peopleclassifiedasself-employed.Thisequatesto11.5%ofthetotalworkforce,anincreaseof6.5%since2008.Thisgrowthinself-employmenthasbeenmainlydrivenbywomen;ofthisadditional17,000people,13,000arefemale.(ONSdata).

Therearenow94,000self-employedwomeninScotland,anincreaseof16.3%since2008(theincreaseformenwas2.3%).Womennowmakeuparoundonethirdofallself-employedpeopleinScotland(ONSdata).

4.2TheGenderPayGap

Thecausesofthegenderpaygaparecomplexand,asidentifiedbytheScottishGovernment(Women’sEmploymentSummit,2013),arerelatedtoissuesofoccupationalsegregation,lackofflexibleworkingpractices,discriminationinpayandgradingsystems.However,Olsenetal.(2010),intheirstudyintothegenderpaygapintheUK,alsociteanumberofadditionaldriversthatunderpintheUKgenderwagegapincluding,formanywomen,employmentwithinsmallercompanies,shorterjobtenure,slightlylowereducationlevelsofwomeninsomeoccupationsandlowerratesoftradeunionmembership.

However,acrosstheUKtherehasbeenadownwardtrendintheoverallgenderpaygap(medianfull-timeandpart-time),from27.5%in1997tothelowestonrecordat19.1%in2014.ThisisalsotrueforScotland,whereithasdecreasedfrom27.5%in1997to17.5%in2014.(AnnualSurveyofHoursandEarnings(ASHE)November2014).

ThisisalsohighlightedintheScottishGovernmentCommunitiesAnalyticalServicesReport:MaximisingEconomicOpportunitiesforWomeninScotland,March2015.


4.2.1OccupationalandSectorSegregationResearchbyClosetheGap(2014)highlights “thatwomenworkinginScotlandaremore likelytobeconcentratedincertainindustries.Forexample,48%ofworkingwomenworkinpublicadministration,educationandhealthindustries.Womenrepresentoverhalfofworkersinonly6ofthe20StandardIndustrialClassifications,whereasmentendtobemoreevenlyspreadacrossindustrygroups.Analysisalsosuggeststhatsectorsegregationbygenderhaschangedlittlesince2003.TheirresearchindicatesthatwithinScotland:

■ around80%ofadministrative,secretarialandpersonalservicejobsareundertakenbywomen

■ womenaremorelikelytoworkinthepublicsector(67%localgovernmentand81%NHS),butonlyathirdofchiefexecutiveofficersarewomen

■ 97%ofchildcareandearlyyearseducationrolesareperformedbyfemalesand98%ofclassroomassistantsarewomen

■ lessthan3%ofcharteredcivilengineersinScotlandarewomen

■ 10%ofseniormanagersinscience,engineeringandtechnologyprofessionsarewomen

■ ModernApprenticescontinuetobegendersegregated,wherewomenaccountedforonly2%ofengineersintrainingin2012and93%ofhairdressers”

Table5: OccupationbyGender2011,Scotland

Occupation Female % Male %

Managers&SeniorOfficials 6 10

Professionals 20 17

AssociateProfessionals 12 15

AdministrativeStaff 18 4

SkilledTradespeople 2 22

Caring,Leisure&OtherServices 16 4

Sales&CustomerService 13 6

Process,Plant&MachineOperators

2 11

ElementaryStaff 11 12

Source:AnnualPopulationSurvey(Jan–Dec2011,ONS),ScottishGovernmentWomen’sEmploymentSummitEvidencePaper,2013

OECDresearch(http://www.oecd.org/gender/closingthegap.htm)suggeststhatbetterallocationsofwomenworkersacrossoccupationsandsectorscancontributesignificantlytoeconomicgrowth.Theyestimate(quotingHsieh2012)that17–20%ofUSeconomicgrowthfrom1960–2008wasduetochangingparticipationofunderrepresentedgroupsintheworkforce,includingwomen.ItislikelythatabetterallocationofgenderacrossoccupationalsectorswithinScotlandwouldsimilarlyleadtogreatereconomicperformance.

TherecentreportfromtheUKGovernmentEqualitiesOffice(TheGenderPayGapMatters,Everywoman2015)alsoidentifiedasimilarpictureofoccupationalsegregationataUKlevel.Thereportalsoidentifiedthatwomenarenotaswellpaidinmanyorganisationsasmen,evenwhentheyachievesimilarlevelsofseniority.

Thereportrecognisesthatthismaybeduetodiscrimination,butitalsoidentifiesthatsometimespaygapscanbeattributedtoreasonstheyciteas“unintentional”.Theseareidentifiedwithinthereportas:historicalpayratesfordifferentrolesorjobs;alegacyofmergersandacquisitions;pastdealswithstaffassociations;inconsistencyindiscretionarybonuses;unconsciousbias;andmen’sgreaterwillingnesstonegotiateandaskforpayrises.

Itremains,however,thatthelackofwomeninseniormanagementandexecutivepositionsiswellevidenced.TheOECDestimate(OECD,2012)that,withinOECDcountries,womenearnonaverage16%lessthanmenandthatfemaletopearnersarepaid21%lessthantheirmalecounterparts.Theybelievea“glassceiling”exists,andthatwomenacrosstheOECDaredisadvantaged.Whenitcomestoseniormanagementanddecision-makingroles,thisbecomesmorepronounced,withonly1womanin10foreverymanatboardlevel.Thislackoffemaleprogressionintoseniormanagementrepresentsasignificanttalentlosstotheeconomyandmanypublicandprivatesectororganisations.


4.3EducationandSkills

TheOECDestimatethatgreatergenderattainmentineducationhasaccountedforapproximatelyhalfofeconomicgrowthinOECDcountriesinthepast50years,deliveringanaveragegrowthof2.1%perannumfor30countriesfrom1960–2008(OECD,2012).

Tomaximisewomen’scontributiontoeconomicgrowth,itisimportanttoensurethatyoungwomenareleavingeducationwiththeskillsthatwillbeindemandinthefuture.TheWomen’sBusinessCouncilhaveundertakenextensiveanalysisintoeducation,skillsandcareerchoicesofyoungwomen.Theyhavelabelledthisthe“startingoutstage”,andFigure1identifiesthecomponentstages.

WorkundertakenbytheWomen’sBusinessCouncil(WomenandtheEconomy:GovernmentActionPlan,2013)identifiedthatthechoicesyoungwomenmakeabouteducationandcareersareshapedbytheinterplaybetweenculturalmessages,peerandparentalpressures,peopletheymeetfromtheworldofworkandtheirindividualself-determination.Theyalsoidentifiedthatstereotypesabout“men’swork”and“women’swork”areastronginfluence,evenatprimaryschool,andGCSE/Highergradelevelgenderedcareerambitionsareclearlyevident.

Evidencesuggeststhat,withinScotland,youngwomenconsistentlyoutperformyoungmenatallstagesofeducationandatallattainmentlevels(ScottishGovernment“Women’sEmploymentSummitEvidencePaper”,2013).Asintherestof

Figure1: StartingOutStages

Source:Women’sBusinessCouncil,Evidence,StartingOut(amended)

External Influences People Teaching Availabilityofinformation

Educational choices Subjectchoice

Nationalqualifications

Highers AdvancedHighers

Educational attainment Results National1-5 Higher(new) AdvancedHigher(new)

Entry into the market Occupations Pay Attainment asadeterminant

Inactivity NEETs Maternity

University Higher Education

Apprenticeship / job with training

Individual attitudes Attitudesperception

Ability Knowledge

Constraint Attainment Providers Stereotypes Lackofinformation

Socio-economicstatus

Work experience


theUK,youngwomenaremorelikelytostayonatschoolandtogointofurtherandhighereducation.Genderdifferencesarestronglyevidencedinsubjectchoiceatschool,inhigherandfurthereducation,andinModernApprenticeships(althoughthereisevidenceofmovementovertimeinsomeareas–forexample,whentakentogether,entriesforthethreemainscienceHighersubjectsshowstronginterestinsciencelearningfrombothgenders).

ThisfindinghasbeenconsistentwithinourScottishresearchbase,withmanyparticipantsinourReviewhighlightingtheimportanceofrolemodels,familyandpeergroupsininfluencingcareerandsubjectchoiceatschoolstage.Whilstwerecognisetheconsiderableeffort,resourcesandsupportgivenbymanyindividuals,businesses,tradeandprofessionalorganisationstolocalschoolsinthisarea,wewouldechotherecommendationsoftheWomen’sBusinessCouncilinidentifyingtheneedforamoreeffective,joined-upapproachfrombusinesses,careersadvisors,parentsorguardiansandschoolstopromotingcareerandsubjectchoicetoyoungwomen.

Asignificantreport,“EducationWorkingForAll”,waspublishedinJune2014bytheindependentCommissionforDevelopingScotland’sYoungWorkforce,chairedbySirIanWood.Itrecognisedthat,withinScotland,“genderstereotypingineducationdoesexistasdoesgendersegregationinasignificantnumberofoccupationsandcareersyoungpeoplepursue”.ThereportcitesanumberofexamplesofgenderimbalancewithinModernApprenticeships,withonly3%femalesinengineeringand3%malesinchildcare,concludingthatthree-quartersofModernApprenticeshipshaveagenderbalanceof75%/25%orworse.Thereportalsohighlightsthatthistrendcontinuesintofemaleparticipationratesinkeygrowthsectorssuchaslifesciences,renewablesandIT.

Thissubjectofcareerchoicehasacontinuedimpactintermsofearningsandthetypesofroleswomenundertake.Itisestimatedthat22%ofthegenderpaygapcanbeexplainedbytheindustriesandoccupationswomenworkin(Olsenetal.2010).

4.4 Family,CareRolesand UnpaidRoles

Starting a Family and the Effect of ChildcareConsiderableresearchhasbeenundertakenintotheeconomiccaseandrationalefortheprovisionofimprovedchildcareprovisionwithinScotland.

Thishasbeenchampionedbytheworkofaleadingeconomist,thelateProfessorAilsaMcKay,supportedbytheWomeninScotland’sEconomyunit(WiSE,2013)TheEconomicCaseforInvestinginHighQualityChildcare).ProfessorMcKay’sworkhashelpedinformboththedeliberationsoftheScottishGovernment’sCouncilofEconomicAdvisersandtheScottishGovernment.

TheCouncilofEconomicAdvisorshashighlightedthepotentialeconomicbenefitsofimprovingchildcareprovisioninScotland(CEA,SecondAnnualChairReportMay2014).Itisnotedthat“thecombinedeffortsoftheScottishWomen’sBudgetGroup,theEqualOpportunitiesCommitteeoftheScottishParliamentandtheScottishGovernment’sEqualityandBudgetsAdvisoryGrouphaveresultedinamore‘equality’awareapproachtotheresourceallocationprocessinScotland”(McKay,OpenDemocracy11April2013)thanwithinotherpartsoftheUK.However,theresultsofthisapproachinaddressingequalityoutcomeshaveyettobedetermined.

ThecaseforexpandingchildcareprovisionwithinScotland,andthefinancialimpactitwillhaveontheeconomy,iswellmade.ItisnottheintentiontodetailthisextensivebodyofworkinthisReview.Ratheritwillhighlightthepotentialeconomicbenefits,onboththedemandandsupplyside,fromexpandingchildcareprovision,andreducingbarrierstowomen’slabourmarketparticipation(ScottishGovernment,2014).

In2014,theTUCpublished“ThePregnancyTest:EndingDiscriminationatWorkforNewMothers”,whichidentifiedthat,withintheUK,pregnancyandmotherhoodcanstillseriouslyimpactuponawoman’scareer.Thisreportidentifiedthat,evenin2014,andwithprotectivelegislationinplace,around25%ofwomendonotreturntoworkafter


maternityleave,andoneinsixofthemumswhodogobackchangejobsbecausetheiremployerwillnotallowthemtoworkreducedorflexiblehours.

ScottishGovernmentresearchhasalsoidentifiedthatstartingafamilycanhavenegative,long-termconsequencesonfemalelabourmarketparticipation.Theirworksuggeststhat,inScotland,manywomenwithchildrenloseoutonexperience,trainingandpromotionopportunities.

Older WomenThesamereportalsoidentifiesthat,withinScotland,theproportionofolderwomen(50+)hasbeenincreasingsteadilysince2004,risingfrom24%in2004to28%in2011.Economicevidence(Altman,2015)alsosuggeststhatoccupationalsegregationcontinuesaspeopleage,witholderwomenlikelytoearnlessthanoldermenandtohavemoreresponsibilityforcaringduties(elderlyrelativesorgrandchildren).Thistrendislikelytobecomemorepronouncedasolderpeoplebecomeagrowingproportionoftheworkforce.

TheWomen’sBusinessCouncil,intheirrecentreport,havealsoidentifiedtheagingworkforceasanemergingresourceforeconomicgrowthbyincreasinglaboursupplyandraisinglevelsofconsumptionandpotentialGDP.

However,theworkbytheWomen’sBusinessCouncilhasidentifiedthepotentialchallengefacingmanywomeninthisolderagegroup,astheirjobsandskillsdonotmatchthosesectorsandoccupationsthataregrowing.Olderwomen,onaverage,havelowerlevelsofformalqualificationsandarelesslikelytoengageintraining.Theyarealsoconcentratedinasmallnumberofsectors.Thereportidentifiesthat,withintheUK,threeinfivefemaleemployees(aged50+)workinthreesectors:education,healthandretail.Theyarealsolikelytoworkinthepublicsector:40%ofallpublicsectorworkersintheUKareaged40orover.Employmentinthissectorispredictedtofallovertime.

TheUKCommissionforEmploymentandSkills(UKCES)hasidentifiedthosesectorsandoccupationspredictedtogrowupto2020(UKCES,2010).Thisdatahighlightsthemismatchbetweenjobsdonebyolderwomenandeconomicgrowth.Itidentifiesthatolderwomenworkersarecurrentlyconcentratedinsectorspredictedeithertoshrinkorremainstatic,ortobeconcentratedingrowingsectorscharacterisedbylowerpaidjobs,suchasretailandwholesaleorcaringandpersonalservice.

Family and Unpaid RolesTheadditionalresponsibilityforcareandhouseholdtasksundertakenbymanyfemalesisnotuniquetoScotland.AcrosstheOECDwomendomoreunpaidworkthanmen,manychoosingpart-timeworktoenablethemtocombineworkandfamilyresponsibilities.TheOECDstudy,however,alsorecognisesthatthiscomeswithacosttomanywomen’slong-termcareerandearningprospects.Theyrecognisethatsocialnormsandattitudes,suchasthedivisionofpaidandunpaidwork,influencesocialandeconomicoutcomesformanywomenandgirls.Theimpactofpregnancy,childcare,elderlyrelativesupportandunpaidhouseholdworkontheircareerchoice,progressionandjobmobilitywereallfactorsmentionedbywomeninournationaldiscussions.WewouldthereforesharetheOECD’sviewthattoaddressthisissuethereisaneedtolinkGovernmentpolicyinterventionsaimedattacklinggenderinequalitytowidermeasuresdesignedtoaddressdiscriminatorysocialandculturalnorms.


Conclusions

■ ThereisarequirementtoaddressthegenderpaygapandoccupationalandsectoralsegregationthatexistswithinScotland.Thiscanonlybeproperlyaddressedbytheprivatesector,government,tradeunionsandthethirdsectorworkingtogether

■ ThispartnershipapproachwillensureacoordinatedrangeofpolicyandprogrammemeasuresatanationallevelthatrecognisetheregionalvariationsanduniquelabourmarketconditionswhichexistacrosstheUK

■ Thereisaneedtoprogressinnovativeandflexiblechildcarepolicyimplementation

■ Additionalworkisrequiredtobetterunderstandtheimpactofcareerbreaksonthewidercareerprogressionofwomen,linkingtosocial,culturalandworkplacebehavioursinScotland

■ Thereisaneedtoconsiderwidercarerolesperformedbywomenandgrowingresponsibilitieslinkedtotheagingcarebasethatmayimpactuponlateryears’careerprospects

■ Genderpolicyinterventionsshouldbelinkedtochangingsocialandculturalbehaviours

■ Specificconsiderationshouldbegiventodevelopingwork-basedtrainingaimedatolderfemaleworkers.Additionaleffortsshouldbemadeatanearlystagetoensurethatolderemployeesareencouragedandsupportedtoretrainorreskill,andthatemployerslookatflexiblearrangementstosupportthoseolderworkerswithcarerroles

■ Theareaoffemaleactivityandlabourmarketparticipationrequiresfurtherworktounderstandbetterthereasonsunderlyingthistrendbysector,skilllevels,payratesetc.,inparticularintheareasoffemaleunderemploymentandsecondjobs

■ Thereisaneedtolinkgenderissuestoeducationandthecurriculumforexcellence,withspecificmeasurestopreventgenderstereotypinginsubjectchoice

■ Careeraspirationsandknowledgeforyoungwomeninschoolsneedstobebroadenedthroughmoreeffectivepartnershipsbetweenschools,careerprofessionals,parentsorguardiansandemployers.Aglobalmind-setneedstobedevelopedencouraginggreaterworkforcemobilityinouryoungpeople.ThisReviewagreeswiththeWomen’sBusinessCouncilworkthatidentifiedaneedforanincreasedfocusoncareerssupportinthisarea


Chapter5

The Scottish Gender Ecosystem


5. The Scottish Gender Ecosystem5

KeyFindings■ Thereisnocoordinatedapproachor

overviewastowhatactivityishappeningwhereorbywhom.Formanybusinesses inScotlandthisleadstoaperceivedlack ofsupportinsomeareas(e.g.returners,agingworkforce,caringroles)

■ Inmanyprogrammes,therearenomeasuresastowhethertheseareaddressingissuesoropportunities thatmanyScottishwomenthemselvesconsidermostimportant

■ Thereisadisconnectaroundthoseinitiativesandorganisationsfocusedondeliveringeconomicandbusinessgrowthandthosefocusedonsocialjusticeorwiderequalityissues,whichthereforemakesitdifficultforcompaniesandorganisationstosharecommonobjectivesandtoworkinpartnership

■ Thereneedstobebettersignpostingofavailableeconomicsupport;andaccesstoservicesforwomenandbusinessesacrossScotlandshouldbemadeclearer

InordertobetterunderstandtheissuesandopportunitiesfacingwomeninScotlandinachievingtheirfullpotential,weconsideredthewiderprimarylegislativeandsupportframeworksandadditionalGovernment-ledprogrammesandsupportmeasuresinplaceatUKandScotlandlevels.ThesemeasuresareoutlinedinAppendixA.

Wealsomappedtherangeanddiversityofgender-focusedsupportorganisationsandmeasuresinScotlandthatarerelevantwithinaneconomicperformancecontext.Wehavelabelledthisthe“genderecosystem”.

Figure2outlinesthoseorganisationsthatwehaveidentifiedinthisspace.

5.1TheScottishGenderEcosystem

Theecosystemmappingmodelreinforcesthecomplexityandinterconnectednessofgender-focusedsupportactivityinScotland.IthasnotbeentheintentionofthisReviewtocoverindetailthefocusormodusoperandiofalltheorganisationsthatwehaveidentified,noristhislistexhaustive.

Manyoftheseorganisationsareself-funding,offeringsupportandservicesdeliveredbyvolunteers;othersaresubsetsofnationalorganisations,businessortradeorganisationswithspecificsectorfocusorindustrymandates.Someservicesprovidedarefree;otherschargeasappropriate.Somereceivepublicfundingbutwithnopublishedcriteriaforpublicfundingselection,andothersdonot.SomefocusonspecificScottishregionalissuesorgeography,whilstothersareScottishunitsofUKnationalprogrammes.

Itisavaried,diverseandactivespace.However,withinitthereareanumberofkeyprogrammesandinitiativesthataredeliveringrealvalueandstep-changetotheScottisheconomy.Whilstithasnotbeenpossibletocovereveryinitiative,programmeandorganisationindetail,ofspecificnote,andmentionedbymanyparticipantsinourdiscussions,areWomen’sEnterpriseScotland,LeanInScotland,ScottishWomen’sConvention,InstituteofDirectors(boardmentoring),ChangingtheChemistry,WomenonBoards,AnInspirationalJourney,ClosetheGapandtheAssociationofScottishBusinesswomen.


Figure2: SchematicofScottishGenderEcosystem

UK Government:■ STUC:39affiliatedtradeunionsand20TradesUnionCouncils,representing620,000tradeunionists

■ TUC:54affiliatedunionsrepresenting6.2millionworkingpeople

Trade Unions:

Sector / Industry Focussed:■ AthenaSWAN

■ EquateScotland

■ ICAS

■ InstitutionofCivilEngineers

■ IETScotland

■ NAWICScotland

■ OilandGasUK

■ RoyalAcademyofEngineering

■ ScottishFederationofUniversityWomen

■ ScottishFinancialEnterprise

■ ScotlandIS

■ ScottishLifeScienceAssociation

■ ScottishRetailConsortium

■ ScottishYoungLawyer’sAssociation

■ TheLawSocietyofScotland

■WISE

■WomeninRenewableEnergyScotland

■Women’sEngineeringSociety–ScottishCircle

Leadership:

■ AssociationofScottishBusinessWomen

■ BusinessWomenScotland

■ ChangetheChemistry

■ ClosetheGap

■ CMIScotland

■ Engender

■ InvestingWomen

■ LeanInScotland

■ NationalWomen’sNetwork

■ ScottishAsianWomen’sAssociation

■ ScottishWomen’sConvention

■ ScottishWomeninBusiness

■Women50/50

■Women’sEnterpriseScotland

■WomenonBoards

Support Organisations:■ BiTC–OpportunityNow

■ CBI(GenderInitiative)

■ FSB

■ IOD

■ SCDI(YoungEngineers)

■ ScottishChambersofCommerce

■ ScottishBusinessintheCommunity

■ ScottishBusinessNetwork

■ Thrive

■ YWCAScotland

■ YoungEnterpriseScotland

Scotland: Regional■ AyrshireAssociationof

BusinessWomen

■ Edinburgh’sBusinesswomen’sClub(ESBC)

■ FifeWomeninBusiness

■ HighlandBusinessWomen’sClub

■ LochaberBusinesswomen’sNetwork

■ MorayBusinessWomenClub

■ PerthshireBusinesswomen’sNetwork

■ ScottishWomen’sInstitute

■WomenAhead(DundeeandAngus)

■WomenConnect(Aberdeenshire)

Leadership: Support Organisations:

Scotland: Regional

Sector / Industry Focus:

Legislative Frameworks:■ EqualPay

■ FlexibleWorking

■ SharedParentalLeave

Scottish Government:■ Highlands&IslandsEnterprise

■ GenderBudgetingGroup

■ ScottishEnterprise

■ ScottishFundingCouncil

■ ScottishLocalAuthorities

■ SkillsDevelopmentScotland

Legislative Frameworks: Scottish Government:UK Government:■ TheUKGovernmentEqualitiesOffice

■Women’sBusinessCouncil

■ ‘Think,Act,Report’

■ EqualityandHumanRightsCommission

■ DepartmentforBusiness,Innovation andSkills

■ UKCommissionforEmploymentandSkills

■ SectorSkillsCouncil(licensedbyUKG)

UK Government:

(Source:Updatedandenhanced–Women’semploymentandsupportnetworksandresources–ScottishGovernment2013)


ThescaleandextentoftheorganisationshighlighttheveryfragmentednatureofthebusinessandpublicsectorapproachtogendersupportandbusinessdevelopmentissuesthatwehaveidentifiedwithinScotland.Whilstwerecogniseandsupportthevaluablecontributionthatmanyoftheseorganisationsmaketothepromotionandsupportofwomen’sissuesandrepresentation,webelievethereisaneedtoimprovetheeffectivenessofthisframework.ThisReviewrecommendstheneedforbetterconnectionsandcollaborationbetweenmanyoftheseorganisations,workingtosharednationaleconomicobjectivesandanagreedGenderActionPlanlinkedtogoalsandobjectives.Thiscoordinatedapproachwouldalsoenablebettermeasurementofprogressandimpactovertime.

Manywomenandorganisationswhohavecontributedtothisresearchhavethemselvesidentifiedtheneedforamore“joined-upapproach”inScotlandacrosstheprivatesector,publicsectorandGovernmenttothedeliveryofsupportprogrammesandbetteraccessandsignpostingtoservices.

Inadditiontothelegislative,political,geo-demographicandsocio-economicframeworksinwhichbusinessesandorganisationsoperatewithinScotland,wealsoneedtoconsiderthesupportorganisations,tradeassociations,businessgroupsandnetworks,civicandthirdsectororganisations,lobbyinggroupsandsectorspecialiststhatbusinessesthemselveshavecreatedtosupporttheiractivities.Manyoftheseorganisationshaveimplementedarangeofprogrammesandinitiativestoaddressspecificmemberororganisationalneedslinkedtowomenintheworkplace,skillsdevelopmentandbusinessstart-upsandsupportservices.ThisisinadditiontocompanyandworkplacespecificactivityandbestpracticeframeworksalreadyusedbymanycompanieswithinScotlandtopromotegenderandaddressequalityissues.

Whilstwehavenottrackedindetailthegrowthanddevelopmentofmanycomponentorganisationswithinthisecosystemovertime,muchofithasemergedinrecentyears,certainlypost-devolution,inresponsetotheincreasedfocusonequality,and

gender.InparticularithasalsobeencharacterisedbyamovetowardsmoreScottishlocalisminaddressinggenderissues,whichhasalsoresultedinafragmentationofUK-widegenderactivitiesandinitiatives.WithintheReviewcontext,ithasnotbeenpossibletodeterminewhetherthislocalismapproachhasbeenmoreeffectiveintacklinggenderissuesinaneconomiccontext.

Conclusions

AnalysisofthegenderecosystemwithinScotlandsuggeststhat,fromawomenomicsperspective:

■ ThereareanumberofinitiativessupportedbytheUKGovernmentthathavedirectrelevanceforScotlandforexampletheWomen’sBusinessCouncil’sActionPlanandThink,Act,ReportbutwhichdonotappeartohavehighlevelsofawarenessamongstScottishcompanies.Similarly,wehaveidentifiedanumberofspecificScottishprogrammesandinitiativesthatcouldhavewiderimpactandgreatereconomicvalueifappliedmorebroadlyacrosstheUK.Wethereforeconcludetheneedforamorejoined-upapproachonaprogrammeofinitiativesbyboththeUKandScottishGovernmentsandgreatercooperationacrossindustryandbusinesssectorgroupstoaddresscommonissuesofgenderinequality

■ Thereisnotenoughcoordinationongenderprogrammesacrossthepublic,privateorthirdsectorsanditisunclearhowmanyoftheseinitiativescouldtranslate

■ ThereisaneedforgreaterevaluationandmeasurementoftheeffectivenessofScottishGovernmentpolicylinkedtogenderintermsofeconomicgrowth,output,andimpactonbusinessperformance

■ Betterconnectionsandcollaborationbetweenmanygender-focusedorganisationsandGovernment,workingagainstsharednationaleconomicobjectivesandanagreedGenderActionPlanlinkedtogoalsandobjectivesisrequired


■ AgreedevaluationmeasuresandimpactassessmentmodelsareneededtomeasureROIoreffectivenessofScottishGovernmentorUKGovernmentprogrammesaimedataddressinggenderissuesintermsofeconomicgrowthandoutput

■ WithinScotlandthereislittlestructuredbusinessorcorporateinputtomanyofthegender-focusedforums

■ Thereisaneedtocreatea“connectionservice”tohelpsupportbusinessnetworksongender-relatedissuestodevelopinresponsetolocalworkforceandbusinessneeds

■ Whilstitishopedthattheintroductionofincreasedparentalleaveintheworkplacewillhelpovercomebarriersandcareerbreaksthatimpactupontheearningsandcareerprogressionofwomen,whichhavebeenhighlightedinSection4.4,appropriatemeasuresshouldalsobeputinplacetoenabletheevaluationandimpactofthispolicyonbothmaleandfemaleworkersovertimeinScotland

■ SufficientlegislativeframeworksexistwithinEurope,UKandScotlandtoprotectandpromotegenderintheworkplace;thegapsidentifiedarenotduetoinadequatelegalmeasures


Chapter6

The Business Evidence Base


6. The Business Evidence Base

6.1 WhatisHappeningand WhatDoWeKnow?

Anextensivebodyofresearchandanalysisexistsaroundtheissueofgenderanditsimpactoneducation,careerprogression,family,leadership(inboththepublicandprivatesectors),entrepreneurship,anditsimpactoneconomicperformanceandgrowth.Alliedtothis,thereisaconsiderablebankofbusiness-ledandinformedknowledgeandinformationthatprovidespracticalinsight,outlinesbusinessexperienceandidentifiestried-and-testedactionsandprogrammestoaddressinequalityintheworkplace.

TheWomen’sBusinessCouncilhasundertakenconsiderableworkinthisarea.Inaddition,thefindings,conclusionsandrecommendationsoftheirworkareequallyapplicablewithinaScottishcontext.ThisReviewhasthereforelookedtodrawuponthisbodyofbusinessworkandtoidentifyrelevantkeyinsightsandlearningsthatcanbeappliedwithintheScottishcontext.

InourdiscussionsandconsultationsacrossScotland,manywomenandcontributorstothisReviewwerekeentounderstandinmoredetailtheNorwegianmodeloffamily-friendlypoliciesandboardquotalegislationanditsrelevanceandvaluewithintheScottishcontext.InthischapterwehavethereforesummarisedthoseaspectsandthelessonswebelievearerelevantforScotland.

6.1.1WorkplaceCultureandBehavioursSignificantcoveragewasachievedbyEYattheWorldEconomicSummitinDavosinJanuary2015,whentheyannouncedthatitwouldtakeuntil2095,oranother80years,forwomentoachievegenderparityintheworkplace(EY,2014).Theirreportandresearchrecognisedtheinternationaleconomicimperativeforeverynationtoutiliseandoptimisethetalentofitsworkforceandwomen.Italsohighlightedthatmostlargecorporatesaroundtheglobenowrecognisetheneedtoengagemorewomeneffectivelyatalllevelsintheorganisation,andtheyidentifiedtheneedtodevelopwhattheyterm“athirdculture”thatsupportsdifferentcareer

6

KeyFindings■ Asof1March2015,womenmadeup23.5%

ofFTSE100boards,upfrom12.5%in2011.AllcompaniesintheFTSE100havefemalerepresentationontheirboards.WhenlookingattheFTSE250,womenmadeup18%ofboards,upfrom7.8%in2011

■ OfScottish-basedcompaniesintheFTSE100,17outof66boardpositionsareheldbywomen–25%ofthetotal

■ AtFTSE250levelthenumberofwomenontheboardsofScottish-basedcompaniesis13outof67positions–18%ofthetotal

■ 94,000womeninScotlandareself-employed;80,000womenareregisteredbusinessowners

■ 21%ofScotland’s339,000SMEsaremajorityledbywomen,withafurther22%equallyledbywomenandmen

■ Itisestimatedthatwomen-ledbusinessescontribute£5bntoGVA.InScotland,menaretwiceaslikelyaswomentostartabusiness

■ Theenterprisegapisestimatedtobe104,480businesses,or32%ofScotland’sbusinessbase,equatingtoa£13bncontributiontoGVA(or5.3%growthintheScottisheconomy)


paths,careerpacesandleadershipstylesforeveryone.Theirreportalsosuggeststhatmanymoremenarenowawareofandappreciatehowan“inhospitable”corporatecultureaffectsthewomenworkingaroundthem.

WhilstthereportdidnotincludeScottish-basedbusinesses,theneedforinclusiveworkculturesandbehaviours,genderlesstalentpipelinesandspecific,targetedmeasurestosupportmorewomenintheworkplaceandintoleadershipwasrecognisedbymanybusinesscontributorstothisReview.Indeed,inourcross-Scotlanddiscussions,theneedtomainstream“gender”intheworkplaceandstopreferringtoitwithinthetermsofa“businessissue”wasarecurringtheme.

AstudyconductedbyMcKinsey&Coconcludedthat40%offemalerespondentsbelievedtheirleadershipandcommunicationstylesdidnotfitwiththe“prevailinghabits”requiredtobeeffectivetopmanagersintheorganisationswheretheyworked(McKinseyGlobalSurveyResults,MovingMind-setsongenderdiversity2012,2014).

Unconsciousbiashasalsobeencitedasoneofthetopbarrierstowomenintheworkplace.ArecentstudyfromthePewResearchCentreintheUS(PewResearchCentreSurvey,12–21November2014)identifiedthat40%ofrespondents(fromamixedgendersampleof1,800respondents)consideredtheapplicationofunconsciousbiasortheapplicationof“doublestandards”towomenintheworkplacewasthedominantfactorimpactingonwomen’scareerprogression.

ThisfindingwasreinforcedinarecentsurveybyEYof400companiesfromaroundtheworld,inwhichmencitedunconsciousbiasasthenumberonebarrierforwomenintheworkplace.Furthermore,27%ofmeninthesurveysaidthat,intheirownexperiences,havingasupportivecultureisthebestwaytosupportwomen’scareeradvancement.Therefore,toadvancewomen,leadersmustspreadanorganisation-widemessagethatbiasisunacceptableandcannotbetoleratedatanylevelinanorganisation.ThisisafindingreinforcedbytheWomen’sBusinessCouncil.

Inrecentyears,therehasalsobeensignificantprogressintermsoftheintroductionoflegislationaimedataddressingtheroleofwomeninthelabourmarket.Thisreflectschangingsocialattitudesandworkplacepracticeaswellasaresponsetochanginglabourforcedemographicsandsectorskillsneeds.

ManycommentatorshighlighttheimportanceofrecentregulationsandpoliciesataUKlevelonparentalleaveentitlement,flexibleworkingandtaxcredits,allofwhichwillhelpaddressgenderinequalitieswithinthelabourmarket.TothiswecanalsoaddtheChildrenandYoungPeople(Scotland)Act2014,whichexpandedstatutoryearlylearningandchildcareprovision,andtheproposedintroductionofgenderdiversityquotasonpublicboards,allofwhichareaimedatincreasingfemaleparticipationintheworkforceandinleadershippositions.

Thereis,however,theneedtoconsidertherealcostsagainsttheperceivedcostsofthesepolicymeasurestobusiness.

Whilstmostbusinessesrecognisetheeconomicimperativeofhavingadiverseworkforceandaccesstoabroadpooloftalentandskilledandtrainedlabour,ourdiscussionslinkedtothisReviewwouldsuggestthat,formanysmallerbusinesses,accesstoknowledgeandsupportresourcestohelpthembettermanagelabourmarketchangeswouldbewelcome.Thisrequirementhasalsobeenmatchedbytheofferfromlargerbusinesscontributorswhohaveindicatedawillingnesstosharebestpracticeandin-housespecialistexpertiseonworkplacegenderandequalitywiththeirsmallersupplychainpartnersorsmaller,localbusinesses.

6.1.2TheTalentPipelineTheWomen’sBusinessCouncilhaveundertakenextensiveanalysis,fromabusinessandeconomicperspective,intotheroleandeconomiccontributionofwomenintheworkplace.

Theyidentifytwospecificstagesintheworklifecycle(inadditiontoeducationandenterprise).Thesearewhattheyterm“GettingOn”and“StayingOn”.


Inthe“GettingOn”stage,whichtheydefineasthemidphaseofawoman’sworkinglife,theyhaveidentifiedthatwomenarelookingtocapitaliseontheprogresstheyhavemade,eitherbysecuringtheirpositionorbyseekingamoveintomoreseniorormanagerialroles.Itisalsoatthisstagethatmanywomendecidetohavechildren,andasaconsequenceexperienceachangeintheirworkandcareertrajectorywhenreturningtotheworkplace.(HoustonandMarks,2003).

TheWomen’sBusinessCouncilestimatethatonethirdofallwomenreturnersfaceadownwardshiftinstatusatthistime.Theybelievethatthelackofwomenprogressingthroughthetalentpipelineisthereasonwhytherearesofewfemaleseniorexecutives(6.1%FTSE100ExecutiveDirectorsarewomen).(SealyandVinnicombe,2013).

Toaddressthesechallengesintheworkplace, andtoensurethatwomenachievetheirfullpotentialatthisstageintheirworkinglives,theWomen’sBusinessCouncilhaveidentifiedthatbusinessesmustensureeffectivetalentmanagement(includingmentoring,networking andformaltraining)andalsodriveculturechangewithintheirorganisationsthroughthepromotionandadoptionofflexibleworking.Theyalsoidentifytheneedforgovernmentsupporttofacilitateaccesstoaffordable,accessibleandqualitychildcare.

However,giventhestructureandsizeoftheScottishbusinessbase,manysmallercompaniesmaynothavetheresourcesorexpertisetodeveloptheseaspectsoftheirtalentpipeline.

6.1.3FutureWorkPatternsTheanticipatedfuturechangeinemploymentpatternsindicatesthatmanyolderfemaleworkersmaybecome“stranded”indecliningsectorswithoutappropriatetrainingoropportunitiestoreskillorretrain.

TheUKCommissionforEmploymentandSkillshasidentifiedthegreatestjobgrowthwillbeinprofessionalandassociateprofessionaljobsoverthenexteightyears.Table6identifiesthecurrentfemaleparticipationratesinthesesectors,highlightingtheopportunitywithinScotlandtoencouragemoreyoungpeople,andparticularlymoreyoungwomen,topursuetrainingoreducationopportunitiesinthesefields.

6.2WomeninLeadership

Theenhancedperformancevalueandbenefitstoorganisationsofhavingmorewomenonboardsiswelldocumentedinbothbusinessandacademicstudies.Theseincludeimprovedperformanceatboardandoperationallevels,accessingandattractingtalentfromthewidestpoolavailable,enablingbusinessestobemoreresponsivetothe

Table6:SectorJobGrowth2020andCurrentFemaleEmploymentRates

Occupational Sector Current Female

Employment Level (%)

Professionalandassociateprofessionaljobsinbusinessservices,e.g.architects,actuaries,engineers,scientificresearchanddevelopmentetc.

36%

Associateprofessionaljobsincommunity,socialandpersonalservices,e.g.artistic,literaryandmedia,sportsandfitnessetc.

44%

Professionalandassociateprofessionaljobsintransportandcommunications,e.g.computerprogrammers,ITspecialistsandtechnicians,pilots,airtrafficcontrollers,shipofficersetc.

25%

Professionaljobsinhealthandsocialwork,e.g.health,nursingandtherapy,socialworkandprobationofficersetc.

75%

Caringjobsinhealthandsocialwork,e.g.childcare,careworkersandhomecarersetc.

85%


market,achievingbettercorporategovernanceandavoidingtherisksof“groupthink”.

Itisnoticeableandwelcomethattherepresentationofwomenoncorporateboardshasincreasedsteadilyinrecentyears.AreviewundertakenbyInstitutionalShareholderServices(2014)forfirmsinAustralia,Canada,theUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesshowsthatthelargestjumpinthepercentageofwomenonboardsinmarkets(withnodiversityquotas)wasintheUK,withinfirmsintheFTSE350.Theirstudyrevealsthat,between2001and2014,theproportionoffemaledirectorsatFTSE350firmsgrewby8%(asopposedto4%inCanadaand2.4%intheUSAoverthesameperiod).ItisrecognisedthatamajordriverforthisgrowthintheUKwasthecommitmentbymanylistedcompaniestocommittotherecommendationsoftheDaviesReview(2011),whichcalledforFTSE100companiestotargetaminimumof25%femalerepresentationontheirboardsby2015.

TheDaviesReviewalsofollowedontheworkofasmallnumberofprivatesectorbusinessleaderswhofoundedThe30%Clubin2010withthespecificaimofachievinga30%goaloffemalerepresentationoncorporateboards.

AnadditionalrecommendationoftheDaviesReviewwasthatagreaterfocusongenderdiversitywasrequiredwithincompanyreportingguidelines.ThiswasimplementedthroughtheUKCorporateGovernanceCode,whichrecommendedthatcompaniesincludeintheirannualreports,onacomplyorexplainbasis,adescriptionoftheirboard’spoliciesondiversity,includinggender,anymeasuresorobjectivesthattheboardshavesetforimplementationofsuchpoliciesandprogresstoachievetheseobjectives.Therefore,theroleofgenderanddiversitywithincompanies,linkedcloselytocorporategovernanceandcompliance,hasalsohelpedtomovetowardstheoverallDaviestargetwithintheUK.

AstudybyNapierUniversityin2014(OvercomingBarrierstoEqualityandDiversityRepresentationonPublic,PrivateandThirdSectorBoardsinScotland)identifiedthat91%ofFTSE100companiesmakereferencetoboardroomdiversityintheirannualreports.However,findingsfromFTSE250companiesshowedonly18%hadaclearpolicyonboardroomdiversity.

WithinthepublicsectorinScotland,thenumbersofwomenappointedtoboardshasalsoincreasedinrecentyears;butthereisstillsignificantgenderinequalityonpublicboards,withwomenfillingonly36%ofboardplacesand21%ofthecurrentboardchairs(ScottishGovernment,2014).InEngland,thenumberofwomenonpublicboardsisprogressing,with44%ofallpublicappointmentsinApriltoSeptemberof2014beingfemale.(EmploymentResearchInstitute,2014).

TheScottishGovernment(2014)haveundertakenaScotland-wideconsultationtogatherviewsfromindividuals,publicbodiesandotherorganisationsontheintroductionofmandatoryquotastoensureaminimumof40%femalerepresentationonpublicboards.

TheresearchworkundertakenbytheScottishGovernmenthasalsoidentifiedanumberoffactorsaffectingfemalerepresentationonpublicboardswithinScotland.Theseare:generallackofawarenessofpublicappointmentsamongstunderrepresentedgroups(notjustwomen);atendencyofwomentoundersellthemselvesandfeeltheneedtomeetallaspectsofaperson/jobspecificationbeforeapplying;theeffectivenessofdifferentrecruitmentmarketingchannels;andthepublicappointmentprocessitself.(http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466992.pdf).

http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466992.pdf

http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466992.pdf


Toaddressthesegenderbarriers,andintheabsenceoflegislatedquotas,theScottishGovernmenthaveputinplaceaprogrammeofimprovementmeasuresthattheybelievewillincreasefemalerepresentationbothonboardsinthepublicsectorandwithintheGovernment’sownworkforce.The“PublicBodiesandCorporateDiversityProgramme”wasestablishedinDecember2013tooverseethedevelopmentanddeliveryofaprogrammeofwork.Itsobjectivesincludeprovidingleadershipandinfluencetoimprovefemalerepresentationinpubliclife,tobroadenthediversityofpublicappointmentsby2017andtoensuretheScottishGovernment’sownworkforcereflectstheScottishpopulationby2025.

Inaddition,theyhavesoughttoaffectchangebyfacilitatingdirectengagementbetweenexistingpublicbodychairs,officialsinvolvedinboardrecruitmentprocessesandapoolofpotentialfemalecandidates.Theyhaveputinplaceasupportprogrammeofmentorsandmentees,includingpublicboardshadowingopportunities,aimedathelpingtoachievethe40%objective.

Whilstwelcomed,itwilltakesometimetodeterminetheeffectivenessofthesemeasuresinaddressinginequalityandgenderdiversityinScottishpubliclifeandtheimpactoneconomicgrowthandpublicbodyperformance,andtodeterminehowthisprogrammeofmeasurescouldtranslateintotheprivatesector.

TheScottishGovernment’sProgrammeforGovernmentpublishedinNovember2014encouragesthepublic,privateandthirdsectorstosetavoluntarytargetforgenderbalanceontheirboardsof50:50by2020,bysigninguptothePartnershipforChange,whichisanetworkoforganisationsandindividualswhoshareacommonambitiontoimprovegenderbalanceonboards.TheFirstMinisterhasindicatedhercommitmenttoaddressinggenderinequalitybyensuringthattheScottishCabinethasa50:50genderbalance.

WithinScotland,ChangingtheChemistry(CtC),aScottish-basedvoluntarypeersupportnetwork,hascontributedsignificantlytotheworkofthisReviewintheareaofleadershipandboardrepresentation.Throughwiderconsultationanddiscussionwiththeirmembershipbase,theyrecommendthreespecificareasforfurtheraction

andresearchtoimproveboardroomdiversityinScotland.Firstly,theneedtobetterunderstandtheapplicationprocessandpoorfemaleparticipationrates.Secondly,theneedto“demystify”theapplicationprocess.Thirdly,theneedforgreatertransparencyintheapplicationprocess.WhilstCtCsupporttheintroductionoffemalequotasforpublicbodies,onatemporarybasis,theyalsoproposethatspecificconsiderationbegiventotheapplicationoffemalequotastochairroles(therebydrivingfasterchangewithinorganisations)andthatconsiderationalsobegiventoprogrammestoencouragemoreyoungerwomen(21–28years)toparticipateatseniorbusinesslevels,therebyprovidingexperienceanddemystifyingtheprocessatanearlierage.

6.3Women’sEntrepreneurship

AcrosstheUK,therehasbeenconsiderableinterestandactivityinbothunderstandinganddevelopingappropriateframeworkstosupportfemaleentrepreneurship,businessstart-upsandgrowth.

TheWomen’sBusinessCouncil(2012)alsoconsideredfemaleentrepreneurshipaspartoftheirdeliberationsandidentifiedwomen’senterpriseasakeyareaoffocusfortheUKeconomy.TheUKGovernment’sAmbassadorforWomeninEnterprise,LorelyBurtMP,hasrecentlypublishedherreportandfindingsintoissuesofwomen’senterprise(BurtReport,2015).

WhilstfocusedprimarilyontheEnglishLocalEnterprisePartnerships,herfindingsalsohavesomerelevancewithinaScottishcontext.HerreportrecognisestheneedfordiversityinbusinessandgovernmentprocurementandrecommendsaddinggenderanddiversitycriteriaondatacollectiontobothprocurementandVATregistration.Italsorecognisestheneedforbothgender-neutralandgender-specificinitiativestosupportentrepreneurship,aviewthathasbeenadvocatedbymanyfemaleentrepreneursinScotlandforsometime.Inaddition,thereportalsoidentifiestheneedformentoring,networkingandalternativefinancemodelstobedevelopedataregionallevelacrosstheUK.


WithinScotland,thereisasignificantamountofworkunderwayinsupportofwomen’senterpriseandbusinessstart-ups.ItisacknowledgedbytheChairofWomen’sEnterpriseScotland(JackieBriertonMBE)that,inScotland,“theenterpriseecosystemisarguablymoredevelopedherethaninanyotherpartoftheUK”.Thereisalsoanextensiveacademicresearchbase,includingspecialistresearchersatStrathclydeBusinessSchoolandtheHunterCentreforEntrepreneurship,aswellasconsiderableprivatesectorsupportandresourcecommitmentfromRoyalBankofScotlandandmanybusinessorganisations.

TheScottishGovernment,workinginpartnershipwithWomen’sEnterpriseScotland,launchedtheWomeninEnterpriseFrameworkinMarch2014,aimedatclosingthegendergapinbusinessstart-upsinScotland.TheFrameworkwasdevelopedinconsultationwithfemalebusinessownersandbusinessorganisationsandidentifiesfivekeyareasfordevelopmentandsupport.Theseincludementoringandnetworking,role-models,marketsandfinance,andsomegender-specificmeasures,aswellasacommitmenttosupportingdevelopmentandtrainingandawareness-raisingsupportacrossthepublic,privateandthirdsectors.(Women’sEnterpriseScotland,2014).

Thisframeworkissupportedwithdirectfundingaimedatestablishinganetworkofwomen’senterpriseambassadorsandsupportingagender-focusedinvestmentprogrammerunbyInvestingWomen.

ProfessorSaraCarter,basedatStrathclydeUniversity,hasextensivelyinvestigatedtheeconomicrationaleandpotentialimpactoffemaleentrepreneurshipinScotland.Herworkestimatesthatthecontributionofwomen-ledbusinessestotheScottisheconomyis£5billion(GVA).Itfurthersuggeststhat,iffemalebusinessownershipratesequalledthoseofmen,thiswouldequatetoa32%increaseinScotland’sbusinessbase,equivalenttoanadditional108,480businesses.ThiscouldpotentiallyincreaseScotland’sGVAto£13billion(from£7.6billionin2014),theequivalentofa5.3%growth.(Women’sEnterpriseScotland,2014).

TheeconomicopportunitiesforScotlandintermsofovercomingthebarriersandchallengestowomen’senterprisearehugeandtheWomen

inEnterpriseFrameworkgoessomewayinaddressingthesechallengesandsupportingdevelopmentandgrowth.ThemainrepresentativegroupsforwomenentrepreneursinScotlandhavethemselvesidentifiedtheneedforrecognitionofthedifferentgrowthpatternsofsomefemale-ownedbusinessesandthechallengesformanyfemale-businessownersinaccessingmainstreambusinesssupportservices.

However,asJackieBriertonhighlights,in2014thereisstillnocoherentsourceofdataonwomen’sbusinessownershipintheUKfromgovernmentsources(Brierton,2014).ShefurthernotesthatrelianceisplacedonthebiennialSmallBusinessSurvey,GEMreportsandLabourForce/AnnualPopulationSurveystoprovideinformationonfemaleentrepreneurs,estimatesofownershipandself-employment.

6.4TheNordicExperience

Norwayhasbeencitedbymanycontributors,commentatorsandpolicymakersasapotentialmodelthatcouldaddvalueandinsightstoaddressinggenderinequalitywithinScotland.GenderequalityandprogressivewelfarepoliciesthataddressinequalityhavebeenadefiningfeatureofNordicculture,farbeyondthatofmanyotherOECDcountries.

WithinthescopeofthisReviewwehavefocusedonthreespecificaspectsofNorwegianequalitiespolicythathaveparticularrelevancetothisReviewandforScotland,namely:

■ BoardQuotas■ GenderIndexing■ Family-friendlyPolicies

6.4.1NorwegianBoardQuotaLegislationThereisextensiveacademicresearchanalysisoftheeffectivenessofthesepolicymeasuresinaddressinginequalitywithinNorwayandalsotheirimpactonfemaleemployment,careerprogression,wagegaps,incomeandwidereconomicperformance,thoughlittlebywayofthepracticalapplicationandpotentialvaluewithinaScottishorUKcontext.


Indeed,arecentprogrammeofeventsacrossScotlandheldbytheNordicExperienceGroupstimulatedwidespreaddiscussionandfocusonthisissue,lookingtolearnandhearfirst-handfromNorwegianacademicsandbusinessesontheeffectivenessoflegislationinaddressinggenderinequalitiesintheworkplace.

InassessingtheapplicationandimpactoftheNorwegianlegislation,itisalsoimportanttounderstandthecompositionandnatureoftheNorwegianeconomyanditsdistinctivenessintermsofbusinesssize,ownershipandtraditionalboardstructuresfromthoseoftheUK.

TheNorwegianQuotaLawwaspassedin2003.Itlegislatedfortheintroductionofa“minimum”40%ofeachgenderonarangeof“corporate”boards.TheQuotaswerefocusedspecificallyonPublicLimitedCompanies,thoselistedontheNorwegianStockExchange,butalsoextendedtoincludeboardsofstate-ownedandmunicipalitycompaniesandcooperatives.Thelegislationwasintroducedoveraphasedperiodtogivecompaniestimetoimplementit(giventheseverepenaltiesfornon-compliance),withfullcomplianceandapplicationby2009.

Betrandetal.(2014)notethatthe“primaryobjectiveofthereformwastoincreasetherepresentationofwomenintoppositionsinthecorporatesectoranddecreasegenderdisparityinearningswithinthatsector”.However,theiranalysisdemonstratesthatwhilstearningsofthosewomenatthetopendincreasedwithincompaniesrequiredtocomplywithlegislation,itdidlittletoimpactwomeninlessseniorpositionswithinthoseorganisations.Similarly,thelegislationdidnotimpacttheearningsofseniorwomennotappointedtoboardpositions.

Theiranalysiswouldsuggestthatitsimpactandeconomicvalueseemsrestrictedtothesmallgroupofwomenappointedtoboardpositions.Itdidnotleadtoany“discernibleuplift”infemaleparticipationinbusinessschoolprogrammesnorinthe“convergence”ofearningsbetweenmaleandfemalegraduatesfrombusinessschoolprogrammes.Whilsttheyreportthatmanyyounger

femaleswereawareofthelegislationandexpecteditwouldimprovetheircareerprospects,itdidnotappeartoinfluencetheirmaritalorfuturefamilyplans.ItmaybethatwithinNorwaymaritalandfamilydecisionsarelessrelevanttoyoungerwomenincareerplanningthantheyareintheUKduetothemoreprogressiveandfamily-friendlywelfareandemploymentprogrammesthatexist.However,withintheconsultationsanddiscussionsheldacrossScotland,thiswasacareerandbusinessstart-upfactorthatwasraisedbymanywomeninthe25–35agegroup.

InprivatelimitedcompaniesinNorway,15%ofgeneralmanagersarewomen,whilstthecorrespondingfigureforpubliclimitedcompaniesis6%.From2004to2014,theshareoffemalemanagersinprivatelimitedcompaniesroseby2.4%.Inpubliclimitedcompanies,thislevelhasincreasedbyonly1.8%since2004.

AnotherrecentstudyinNorwaybyKunzeandMiller(2014)into4,000privatesectorworkplacesfoundthatwomenhadasignificantlylowerlevelofpromotionrateacrossallranksofcorporatehierarchythanmen.However,theirstudydidsuggestthat,wherethereisgreaterfemalerepresentationinmoreseniorrankswithinanorganisation,thiscanhave“spillover”benefitstomorejuniorwomenwithinthesecompanies.

6.4.2RegionalGenderIndexNorwaycurrentlymeasuresandtracksequalityonanannualbasisacross428municipalities.Thisismeasuredthroughasetof12keyindicatorsthathavebeenidentifiedasimportantandrelevantwithintheNorwegiancontext.Theseindicatorsalsocorrespondtointernationallyusedindicatorsofgenderequality,suchastheGenderEmpowermentMeasure(GEM).

The12indicatorsaresplitintotwogroupsalongsixdimensionsthatmeasurevariablessuchaspercentageofchildreninkindergarten,shareofemployeesingender-balancedindustries,ratioofmen/womeninpublic/privatesector,ratiobetweenmale/femaleaveragegrossincome,shareoffemalemanagersetc.


Thisdataandinformationisthenpublished(atanationallevelandbymunicipality)onanannualbasisandisavailabletoallorganisations,agencies,andpolicymakersetc.toassistwithdecision-making.ItalsoenablestheGovernmentandtheiragenciestoaccuratelyassesstheimpactofinterventionstoaddressgenderissuesandtomonitortheeffectivenessoftheirprogrammes.

6.4.3Family-friendlyPoliciesTheScottishGovernmenthaveundertakendetailedandstructuredanalysisofcurrentNorwegianpolicytosupportfamilywelfare,educationandeconomicopportunityandhaveconsideredtheapplicationofsimilarprogrammeswithinaScottisheconomiccontext.AdetailedcountryoverviewisincludedwithintheEarlyChildhoodEducationandCareProvision(ECEP):InternationalReviewofPolicy,DeliveryandFundinghttp://www.nls.uk/scotgov/2013/9781782564164.pdf.

Insummary,Norwayhasafullyintegratedanduniversalearlyeducationandcaresystemfromageonetoschoolentry,mainlypaidforbythestate.Thislinksacrosspaidparentalleaveofoneyearfollowingbirth(andafurtherentitlementofoneyearunpaid),ensuringthereisno“caregap”andprovidingcontinuityofsupportforparentalemployment.Researchindicatesthatthisuniversalityhasledtoamore“family-friendly”attitudewithinmanyworkplaces.

Thestudyindicatesthattake-upofthefather’squotaofparentalleaveiscurrentlyintheregionof89%,with70%offatherstakingmorethanfiveweeks(2013).

ItisnotapparenthowsuccessfulthisECECPpolicyhasbeeninaddressingstructuralgenderinequalitieswithintheworkplace,thelonger-termcareerprogressionofwomenorthelackoffemalebusinessstart-upsthatstillexistwithinNorway.

ThefocusoftheNorwegianandNordicpolicymodelhasbeenonrecognisingtheimportanceofsocialinvestmentintheearlyyearsofchildhoodasopposedtotheshortormedium-termimpact

oneconomicperformanceorgrowth.Itappearsthat,whilstfemalecareerprogressionandsupportisconsideredimportant,ithasbeenasecondaryoutcomeasopposedtotheinitialdriverofECECPpolicy.Indeed,someacademicshavearguedthatgenerousfamily-friendlypoliciesintheNordiccountrieshavebeencounterproductiveinachievinggenderequalitybyfacilitatinglongbreaksforfemaleworkersfromtheworkplace(StatsNorway,2014).Inconclusion,considerablevariationinopinionstillexists,evenwithinNorway,ontheeffectivenessofpolicyinterventionsinthisarea.

6.4.4NorwegianLessonsandLearningsforScotlandWhilstthefocusofthisReviewwasnottoundertakeadetailedsocio-economicanalysisofNorwegiangenderandwelfareprogrammes,thereisavastbodyofresearchandfindingsthatcanprovideinsightsandhelpguidefutureScottishpolicydirection:

■ Quotashavedonelittletoaddressworkplaceorcareerinequalityortosupportfemalecareerleadershipprogression

■ Manycompaniesderegisteredtoavoidquotaruling,solegislationisnotalwaysaneffectiveroutetoachievinganoutcome

■ Norwegianpolicyinterventionshaveshortenedwomen’semploymentinterruptionsandledtoamoreequaldivisionofpaidandunpaidworkacrossparents

■ ResearchalsosuggeststhatwithinNorway,despitesignificantpolicyinterventions,femaleemploymentcontinuestobeinfluencedbyfamilybeliefsandexpectationsaroundfamilyandworkbalance

■ Introductionofprogressiveearlyeducationandchildcarepoliciesmayimpactonequalitiesintheworkplaceinanunintendedway

■ Someresearchersarguethatgenerousfamily-friendlypolicies(particularlyextendedleave)canbecounterproductiveintheworkplaceinaddressingequalitiesunlessbalancedbyaffordabledaycareprovisionandprogrammesspecificallytargetedatfathers

http://www.nls.uk/scotgov/2013/9781782564164.pdf

http://www.nls.uk/scotgov/2013/9781782564164.pdf


Conclusions

■ GreaterequalityatanationallevelwillhelpdriveGDPgrowthandimproveproductivity

■ ForthosecompanieslistedontheStockExchange,bettergenderbalanceonboardsleadstobettersharepriceandfinancialperformance,andforallcompaniesororganisationsthosewithgender-balancedleadershipalsodeliverbetterall-roundperformance.Forpublicbodies,thisReviewconsidersthatgreaterdiversitywillimprovetheperformanceoftheorganisationandhavegreaterimpactontheperformanceoftheeconomy

■ Thereisaneedtoestablishaprocesstosharebestpracticeintalentmanagementprogrammeslinkedtoreturnersandwomeninthe“gettingon”stagesoftheircareer.Businessesneedtoadoptmoreinnovativeworkplacepracticelinkedtowomeninmidandlatercareerstages

■ Thereisaneedforfurtherreviewofemergingemploymenttrendsfor“thirdphase”workers,identifyingworkforcetraininganddevelopmentneeds.ThisReviewagreeswiththeWomen’sBusinessCouncilintheneedforarangeofspecificmeasurestosupportwomenatthiscriticalstageintheircareers.ThisrequirementwasalsoidentifiedbymanywomenthemselvesinthediscussiongroupsheldacrossScotland(detailedinChapter7)

■ ThisReviewbelievesthatdetailedworkneedstobeundertakenwithinScotlandasamatterofurgencytobetterunderstandtheseemergingemploymenttrends,andtoensurethatwecancreatebalancebetweenseniorrolesandcaringresponsibilities

■ Thereisaneedforamechanismtoallowlargerbusinessestosharebestpracticeandgendertalentandmulti-generationalmanagementprogrammeswithsmallerbusinessesacrossScotland.Anumberofcompanieswhohavecontributedtothisworkhavethemselves

identifiedtheneedforbestpracticetobeshared,andforaknowledgeexchangemechanismtobeestablishedthatallowsthesharingofbestpracticeandtalentpoliciesandsupportprogrammesacrossorganisationsandsectors.Thismaybeafacilitationrolethatabusinessorganisationcouldprovide,oranaspectthatcouldbesupportedbytheScottishGovernment’sSkillsDevelopmentScotlandagencyintheirworkforcedevelopmentplanning

■ Abusinesschampionforolderworkersshouldbeidentifiedtopromotethebusinessbenefitsofretainingandrecruitingolderworkers(particularlyfemales)withaspecificfocusonScotland

■ Thereshouldbeafocusonthemosteffectivewaystoacceleratechangeandputprogrammesandpolicymeasuresintopracticethateffectivelymeetbusinessneedsbutalsoaddresstheuniquecircumstancesandlifestageofemployeesorbusinessowners

■ ThereisaneedforthecollectionanddisaggregationofdatatoeffectivelymeasureandmonitorpolicymeasurestosupportfemaleentrepreneurshipatboththeScottishandUKlevel.ThereisalsoaneedfordisaggregatedbusinessdatasetsatbothUKandScottishlevelstomeasuregenderasakeyeconomicvariable

■ Furtherworkalsoneedstobeundertakentobetterunderstandtherelationshipbetweencareerstages,family/caringcommitments,flexibleworkplacesandfemalebusinessstart-uprates,whichmayhaveimplicationsforfuturepolicydevelopmentinthisarea

■ ThisReviewwouldsupportthepropositionthat“gender”considerationshouldbegiventotheframingofGovernmentpoliciesandinitiativestosupportbusinessgrowthanddevelopment,andtothe“levelling”ofthepublicprocurement“playingfield”withregardtogenderandbusinesssizequalifyingcriteria


Chapter7

The Thousand Voices


7.1Methodology

Overaperiodofsixmonths,12roundtablediscussionswereheldtodeterminewomen’sviewsandopinionsonarangeofissueslinkedtoeconomicgrowth,includingcareerprogression,education,caringroles,leadershipandentrepreneurshipacrossScotland.Thisconsultationprocesshasinvolvedanestimated1,000participantsacrossScotland,withadditionalinputfromkeygenderspecialistsfromgovernment,business,tradeorganisationsandspecialistinterestgroupsfromacrosstheUK.

Inaddition,thesedirectdiscussionsweresupplementedbyanonlinesurveydistributedtoover500participants.DetailedanalysisofthesurveyresultsisgiveninSection7.3below.

In-depthinterviewswerealsoconductedwitharangeofsectorandbusinessleadersandprivateinsightmeetingsheldwiththeSecretaryofState

forScotland,theMinisterforEmploymentRelationsandConsumerAffairsandWomenandEqualitiesMinister,alongwiththeScottishGovernmentMinisterforYouthandWomen’sEmployment,tosharetheirthoughts,viewsandvisionfortherolethatwomencanplayintheeconomicsuccessofScotland.

7.2ConsultationsandDiscussions

TheroundtablesessionsarrangedacrossScotland,includingGlasgow,Aberdeen,Edinburgh,DumfriesandStornoway,capturedinsightsfromwomenatallstagesoftheircareersandfromallsectorsoftheeconomy.Thiswasinadditiontoanumberofpersonalinterviews,conferencesessionsandmeetingsthroughoutScotlandduringwhichviewsandopinionsweresoughtoneconomicgrowthandgender.

7. The Thousand Voices7

KeyFindings■ Thereisarecognitionthatthesituationfor

workingwomenhasimprovedoverthepast30years,butthatthereis“stillalotofworktobedone”

■ Theroleoffamily,schools,careeradvisorsandpeergroupsinacademicsubjectselectionandcareerchoiceiscriticalandthereisaneedtoovercomeaperceivedlackofknowledgeandawarenessofwideropportunities

■ Thereisalackofhigh-profilefemalebusinessorworkingmotherrolemodels(thoughtheawarenessofthefemaleFirstMinisterandbalancedScottishGovernmentCabinetwaswelcomed)

■ Thereisachallengeincombiningcareerandcaringroles(bothchildcareandelderly)

■ Changeisrequiredinmaleworkplaceculturesalongwithattitudestochildcare,paternityleaveandcaringroles

■ Moreflexibleworkingpatterns, supportforreturnersandchildcare networksneedtobeintroduced

■ Weneedtorecognisethat“onesizedoesn’tfitall”,intermsofcity,ruralanddeeprural(island)economicneeds

■ Anincreaseisneededinmentoringandone-to-onecareeradviceandsupport

■ Thereisstillalackofconfidenceandself-beliefinabilityamongsomewomen

■ Womenhaveexpresseddifficultyinidentifyingsuitableorappropriatesupportnetworks

■ Thereiswidespreadsupportforlegislatedquotasforpublicboardappointments(withsunsetclauses)

■ Thereisaneedforgreaterrecognitionandsupportforthedistinctivenessofwomen’senterpriseinScotland,givenitseconomicpotential


Ateachevent,womenwerehugelygenerousinsharingtheirownpersonalexperiences,bothgoodandbad,oftheircareerjourneysandtheirthoughtsandviewsonhowtoachievegenderequality.

Eightmainthemesemergedfromtheconsultationsanddiscussions.Thesewereissuesrelatedto:

1.Home,FamilyandCarerRoles2.EducationandCareerChoices3.Leadership,MentoringandRoleModels4.WomenonBoards5.EntrepreneurshipandStartingaBusiness6.CultureofWork7.RegionalFactors8.SectoralIssues

Therewasrecognitionthatalotofgoodworkistakingplacetosupportwomentoachievetheircareerambitions.However,thereisaneedtoprovideamorefocusedapproachtothisactivityacrossthepublicandprivatesectorsandadesiretocreateanecosystemofsupportnetworkstoensurethatknowledgecanbesharedandlessonslearned.Businessesoftenfinditdifficulttogetaccesstoinformation,anditisalsodifficultforwomeninemploymentorwhoareself-employedtoidentifynetworksthatcouldsupportthem.Theconsensuswasthatinformationisfragmentedandinconsistentnorthandsouthoftheborder.Whilstmanylargerbusinessescouldaffordtospendtimeandresourcesonpromotinggenderequality,themake-upoftheScottisheconomyandthelargenumberofSMEsmeansthatnotallbusinesseshavethetimeorresourcestoconsiderhowtheycanaddresstheissue.Therewascautionaboutoverburdeningsmallbusinesseswithadditionallegislationandreportingongenderstatistics;however,theopportunityforlargercompaniestoshareinformationandinsightswithsmallerbusinesseswaswelcomed.

Manywomenexpressedconcernanddisappointmentoveralackofprogressoveralongperiod,despitealltheinitiativesthatareinplace,andconsideredthatrealchangeandachievementofequalityisnowabusinessimperative.

Despitedifferentgeographies,sectorsandcareerpaths,everyonewascommittedtoworkingtogethertoensurechangeforthenextgenerationoffemalesintheworkplace.

7.2.1Home,FamilyandCarerRolesTheissueremainsoverwhohastheprimaryresponsibilityforthecaringroleswithinafamilyunit.Withcurrentdemographicchangesandanagingpopulation,anumberofwomenatvarioussessionsmentionedthatthereisnowgreaterpressureonwomentocombinechildcarewithelderlyrelativecare.Recentlegislativechangesonsharedparentalleaveandmoreflexibleworkingpolicieswerewelcomed,butopinionswerestrongontheneedtopromoteflexibilitytoall–itshouldnotjustbeseenasanoptionforwomen.Therewasstillabeliefthatthereremainsastigmaaroundaskingforflexibleorcompressedhoursofworking,withwomenbelievingthataskingformoreflexiblearrangementswouldbeseenascareerlimiting.

Manywomenarestillfacedwithnochoicebuttopursueaflexibleoptionduringearlyyearsofworkpost-children.Womenwerehighlyvocalintheirviewsthataculturalmind-setshiftisrequiredtogetmorementoconsiderpart-timeandflexibleworkingoptionsand,althoughlegislationhelped,genderbiascontinuestobepasseddownthroughgenerationsandfullequalitywillnotberealiseduntilcultureschange.

7.2.2 EducationandCareerChoicesTheconsensusviewwasthatgenderbias beginsatschool.Schools,careersadvice,parentsandfamilynetworksallhaveasignificantroletoplayinencouragingyounggirlsatanearlystagetoconsiderallcareeroptionsavailabletothem,includingentrepreneurshipandSTEM.Thereshouldalsobeearlystageencouragementthatnooneshouldlimittheirambitionsbecauseoftheirgender.Therewasarealappetitetogetmorebusinessesworkingwithschoolsmoreeffectivelyoncareerpromotion,particularlyonsectorswherethereisacleargendergap,forexampleengineeringandIT.TherecentintroductionoftheCurriculumforExcellenceisapotentialopportunityforconsideringcareeradviceandbusinessengagementwithschools.Manywomenwerealsosupportiveofmentoringinschools,withonesuggestionfromtheAberdeenroundtableeventthatgirlscouldbeallocatedabusinessmentorinsecondaryschooltogiveinsightsintotheopportunitiesandrolesintheworkplaceanddispelmanyofthemythsthatexist,particularlyinchoosingacareerwithintheoilandgasindustry.


7.2.3Leadership,MentoringandRoleModelsStrongsupportwasexpressedfortheneedforleadershipatthetopoforganisationstomainstreamthegenderequalityissue,withleadersneedingto“WalktheTalk”.Businessesshouldnotconsiderthisasatickboxexercisebutinsteadrecognisethatequalityisabusinessimperativeanddriverofeconomicgrowth.

Ineverysession,womenidentifiedtheissuethatalackofconfidencestillpreventswomenfromaimingforpromotionsorapplyingforboardroles.Thebenefitofmentorsandsponsorswasraisedconsistently,withsuggestionsthatfemaletalentshouldbeidentifiedatearlystages,withcoachingandmentoringthroughoutcareerdevelopment,alongwithinterventionsatstageswherethereareissuesofself-doubtaboutability,challengestobalanceworkandfamilylife,andconfidencetoapplyforpromotions.AmorecoherentScotland-wideapproachtomentoringwouldbebeneficialasmanywomeninmoreseniorrolesweresupportivetohelpothersintheearlierstagesoftheircareerandwerenotawareofanysignpostingorfacilitytoofferthis.

Thevalueofbusinessmentorsinsupportingwomenincareerchoice,developmentandleadershippositionsisaconsistentfindingfromacrossthebusinessevidence,andarequirementlistedhighlybywomenthemselvesparticipatingintheReviewsurvey.Whilst63%ofrespondentsdidnothaveamentor,manyconsidereditwouldbehelpfulintermsofprovidingimpartialcareerandexpertadviceandinprovidingconfidence,supportandencouragementinmanyScottishworkplaceswhereitdoesnotcurrentlyexist.AtkinsGlobal,intheirworktosupportmorewomenintoengineering,haveidentifiedthekeyroleforindustryrolemodelsinencouragingandsupportingyoungerwomen.(RoyalAcademyofEngineering,2013).

7.2.4WomenonBoardsThebenefitsorotherwiseofintroducingfixedquotasforwomenonpublicandprivateboardswasakeythemeraisedduringeachroundtableandprovidedthegreatestdifferenceofopinioninthoughtsonhowtoaddresstheimbalance.Anumberofwomeninmoreseniorpositionswereadamantthatthelackofprogressinwomenachievingboardrolesmeanttherewas

noalternativebuttointroducequotastoachievechange.Thisviewwastemperedbyothersagreeingwithquotasintheshortterm,with“sunsetclauses”untilmoreparityisachieved.Otherwomenexpressedadesirefortargetsratherthanquotas,citingconcernsthatquotascoulddisadvantagewomenwhocouldbeperceivedbymalecounterpartsasonlygettingtheboardpositionduetolegislationandnotthroughability.However,fullconsensusexistedontheneedfor“compliance”insomeformtobreakthecycleofcontinuousmaleappointments.

Therewasalsoagreementovertheprocessforboardappointments,withmanyofferinganecdotalevidencetosuggestthatwomenarenotmakingboardshortlistsastheydonothaveaccesstotherightnetworksandarenotvisibletothoseinvolvedintheappointmentprocess.

Theintroductionofquotastopublicbodyappointmentswasanissuethatprovokedawiderangeofresponsesfromourdiscussionsandsurveyrespondents.Theapplicationofquotaswassupportedbymanyseniorwomeninthethirdcareerphase,withmanyofthemvoicingconcerns“thatnothinghadchangedinthirtyyears”.Mostmidstageorearlycareerfemaleswerelessinclinedtosupportlegislationtoachieveboardroomdiversity.Inoursurvey,56%ofallrespondentssupportedtheintroductionofquotasforpublicbodies.

Forprivatecompanies,mostparticipantsandcontributorstothisReviewsupportedtheDaviesrecommendationsandbelievedthatvoluntarytargetsanddisclosuremetricslinkedtogenderanddiversitywouldprovidethemostappropriatemethodtodrivechangeinorganisationalculturesandbehaviours,onthebasisof“ifitgetsmeasured,itgetsdone”.

7.2.5EntrepreneurshipandStartingaBusinessAnumberofwomenrecognisedthattorealisetheirambitionsofrunningacompanymeantthattheyhadtosetoneupthemselves.Issuesoveraccesstofinance,andbeingtakenseriouslywhenapproachingbanksandlegalfirms,wereraised,alongwithadesiretolookatpromotingentrepreneurshipasacareerchoiceinschoolsforyoungerwomen.Anumberofpositiveexampleswerementioned,includingtheEntrepreneurialSpark


modelandseveralinitiativesoftargetedlendingbybankstowomen.However,mostfeltthatmorecouldbedonetopromotetheseatanationallevel.

Inmanyinstances,lifestylechoiceswerealsomentionedasreasonsforsettingupbusinesses,withwomenstatingthattheyhadchosentooptoutoftheircareersandlaunchtheirownbusinessastheydidnotlikethecultureorvaluesintheirplaceofemployment.

7.2.6CultureofWorkAcommonthreadthroughoutdiscussionsonallofthethemesoutlinedabovewasthecurrentstructureofworkandtheethosandvaluesinbusinesses.Therewasrecognitionthatthestyleofworkandstructureofworkinghourshavenotchangedtoreflectdifferencesin21st-centurysociety.Therewasstillthebeliefthatan“oldboys’network”existsthroughoutScotlandandthatunconsciousbiasremainsanissueinthepromotionofwomenatallstagesoftheircareers.

Despitethisfocusandthecommitmentidentifiedtogender-neutralleadershipintheonlinesurveyundertakenaspartofthisReview,49%ofrespondentsbelievedthattheircareershadbeenaffectedinsomewaybytheirgender.Thisresultwasevidencedinourconsultationsanddiscussions,withmanywomencitingnegativeexamplesofbiasintheirworkplaceorbusinesslifethathadrestrictedtheircareerchoiceorpromotionalopportunities.

Inaddition,therewerestillwomenexperiencingdiscriminationduetotheirgenderindifferentsectorsofindustry.

Theneedtotacklediscriminatorybehaviourinstantlywasstronglyacceptedbyallthewomencontributingtothesessions,alongwithensuringthatmenrecognisetheseissuesandsupportwomenwhoarechallenginginappropriatebehaviour.Womenwerevocalintheneedformoremalementorsandchampionsinthegenderequalityspace.

Womenwerealsovocalintheirdesiretoaddressthechallengesofthe“perceivedmacho”cultureandbehaviourthattheybelievestillexistswithinmanysectorsandorganisationsinScotland.The

issueof“malecultures”andthelackoffitformanywomenwasanissuethatwasconsistentlyraisedinourdiscussions,crossingsectors,agerangesandseniority.

7.2.7RegionalFactorsAlthoughtherewerecommonthemesandcallstoactionidentified,severalspecificissuesemergedintermsofruralversusurbanversusislands.Forexample,thelackofchildcareprovisionontheIsleofLewiswasrecognisedasakeybarriertowomenreturningtoworkorseekingfurthercareerdevelopment.Therearealsonoformalwomen’snetworksontheIsland,sowomentendtoseeksupportthroughinformalrelationshipsandconversationswithcolleagues.SpecificchallengesrelatingtoSTEMcareersinAberdeenwereraised,withaneedforamorejoined-upapproachbetweenthepublicandprivatesectorsandforschoolstopromotetheoilandgasindustrytoyoungerwomenandtherangeofrolesthatexistinthesector.InDumfries,womenexpressedconcernthatmostnetworksandbusinessengagementopportunitieswerecentralScotlandfocusedandthechallengesofjourneytimesandcombiningwiththeirexistingemploymentmeanttheycouldnotattendeventseveniftheywantedto.

7.2.8SectoralIssuesTheactionsneededtochangebehavioursandtoaddressspecificskillsshortageshavebeenidentifiedbymanyoftheScottishcompanieswespoketoaspartofthisReview.Wehaveidentifiedthatmanyorganisationsandsectorsarealreadyworkingtoimplementprogrammesandinitiativestosupportgreaterdiversityineducation,recruitment,careerprogressionandleadershipopportunities.InitiativesunderwaywithintheengineeringandITCsectorstoaddressspecificissueswithinSTEMsubjectscanbeseenasbest-in-classexamplesandwillovertimechangethediversitycharacteristicsinmanyUKandScottishworkplaces.TherangeofinitiativesunderwayandsupportedbymanyScottish-basedengineeringorganisationsincludesinnovativesectoragreements,suchastheEngineeringDiversityConcordatsignedbythenineprofessionengineeringInstitutionsin2013,throughtheRoyalAcademyofEngineering,identifyingtheneedtoworkcollaborativelytoaddressgenderissueswithinthesectorandcompetegloballyinthe“warfortalent”.


7.3SurveyResults

Inadditionaltothequalitativediscussionandinterviewresearchwork,anonlinesurveywasalsoundertakentogaingreaterinsightsintotheviewsandopinionsofwomenongenderequalityacrossScotland.

TheobjectiveofthesurveywastoprovideawiderbenchmarkonhowwomenperceivedgenderissuesinrelationtotheirworkinglifeexperienceinScotland.

Thesurveywasissuedtoatargetlistof500businesswomenandentrepreneurs,manyofwhomhadparticipatedintheReviewdiscussionsandwhosharedthesurveyquestionswiththeirnetwork.Thesurveywasopenforatwo-weekperiod.Itwasalsocascadedthroughsocialmediachannelsandbusinessnetworksoverthisperiod.

AcopyofthesurveyiscontainedinAppendixB.

7.3.1ResponseAnalysisOveralla34%responseratewasachievedtothesurvey.Ofthoseresponding,over89%workfull-time,over10%part-timeand79%havejobsintheprivatesector,whilst21%areemployedinthepublicsector.Thisindicatesthatalarger

Respondentsinfull-timeorpart-timework(%)100

80

60

40

20

0Full-time Part-time

ResponsesbyAgeCategory(%)

Age 20-254.73%

Age 25-3529.05%

Age 35-4534.46%

Age 45-5525.68%

Age 55+6.08%

Conclusions

TheroundtablesessionsprovidedtheReviewwithrichanddetailedexamplesofthechallengeswomencontinuetofaceintheworkplacetoachievegenderequality.Despitethechallengesidentified,therewasarecognitionthat,byworkingtogetherandmainstreamingtheissueofgenderequality,realprogressandchangecouldbeeffected.Inaddition,allbelievedthatthiswasnotjustanissueaboutequalitybutanimperativetoensurecontinuedsustainableeconomicgrowthinScotlandandencourageopportunitiesforwomenatalllevels,inallsectors,andinallpartsofsociety.

Unlessdirectlyinvolved,manywomenwithinScotlandareunawareofwomen’sinitiatives.Manyoftheprogrammesarebasedinthecentralbeltorcitiesandthereforeexcludewomeninruralorislandcommunities.

ThediscussionsandconsultationsundertakenforthisReviewsuggestthatthereisalackofclaritywithinScotland,notjustacrossorganisationsbutamongstwomenthemselves,intermsofhowwereconciletheconceptsandlanguageof“womenomics”and“socialjustice”todeliveragainstthesinglegenderagenda.

89.26%

10.74%


percentageofoursurveyrespondentsworkfull-timethantheScottishnationalaverage(26%)andweremorelikelytobeemployedintheprivatesector.Withinthesurveywedidnotspecificallyexploredetailslinkedtoself-employmentorthirdsectorjobs,althoughwewouldrecommendthatfurtherresearchandanalysisbeundertakeninthesespecificareas.

Intermsofagebreakdown,respondentswerebroadlysplitacrossallagegroupsandcareerlifestages,mirroringtheageprofileanddemographicsofourpan-Scotlanddiscussiongroups.

Allsurveyrespondentsarefemale.

7.3.2KeyResultsandFindingsOfthoseresponding,over90%didnotbelievethatgenderequalityintheworkplacehasbeenachievedinScotland,mirroringmanyoftheviewsexpressedwithinthediscussiongroupsandinterviews.Whenfurtherprobedonareasofactionthatareneededtopromotegreaterequalityintheworkplace,arangeofviewsandopinionswerereceived.Theserangedfromtheneedformorementors,rolemodelsandchampionsthroughtoemployeesupportprogrammesandgreaterflexibility.

Equal pay for women, acknowledgement and support for

flexible working for working mothers

Men championing the benefits of diversity; more case studies

of women role models

To treat male and female employees the same. To focus on

ability rather than gender

Senior women leadership / director development

More support in the SME sector

More women on boards, more visibility

Put it on the board agenda, measure it, report on it

Respondentsinpublicorprivatesector(%)80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Public Private

DoyoubelievethatGenderEqualityintheworkplacehasalreadybeenachievedinScotland(%)

Yes9.82%

No90.18%

78.7%

21.3%


Interestingly,whilstover90%ofrespondentsstatedthattheydidnotbelievegenderequalityhasbeenachievedinScotland,only49%ofrespondentsbelievedthattheirowncareerhasbeenimpactedoraffectedbytheirgender.Thisresponsewasquitedifferentfromthecontributionsobtainedinthediscussiongroups,wheremanywomen(particularlythoseinthelaterphasesoftheircareers)believedthattheirowncareerprogressionhadbeenmademoredifficultthanmalepeersasaresultoftheirgender.

Thereasonforthisdiscrepancyinthefindingsisnotclear,particularlygiventhattheageprofileofrespondentswassplit.Wethereforeattributethisdifferencetothemethodofquestioningandthepotentialconcernsaroundanonymity,andthebeliefofmanywomenthat,whilsttheirowncareerprogressionhadbeenchallengingduetotheirgender,theyhadovercomethisimpactovertime.

Whenaskedtoprovideexamplesofwaysthatthosewhofelttheircareershadbeenimpacted,thequotationstotheleftwerecitedasreasonsbyanumberofparticipants.

Slower promotions and smaller salary increases

as compared to male peers

Maternity leave (whilst great) can leave you a year behind in

experience with male counterparts

I feel that I’m not taken as seriously as my male colleagues

Male bias at the top

A man would not be asked in an interview if he was married

DoyouconsideryourcareerhasbeenimpactedbyoraffectedbyyourGender?(%)60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes No

Doyouhaveamentor?(%)80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes No

Areyouamemberofawomen’sbusinessorganisation?(%)

Areyouamemberofabusinessorganisation?(%)60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes Yes No No

49.38%

35.21%

50.63%

64.79%

58.74%

41.26%

58.74%

41.26%


Inlinewiththeopinionsandviewsgatheredwithinourfocusgroups,whenaskedinmoredetailaboutthesupportrequiredforwomentoachievetheircareerambitions,anumberofkeythemesemergedlinkedtomentoring,accesstonetworks,morefemalerolemodels,flexibleworkingandtheimportanceofaccesstostrongfamilynetworks.

Thekeyroleofmentorsinsupportingcareerdevelopmentwasalsohighlightedinthesurvey,withjustoveronethirdofrespondentshavingamentor. Onthespecificvalueofamentortocareerprogression,manyrespondentsgaveexamplesonhowamentorcouldbringconfidenceandencouragement,beagoodsoundingboardtoraiseopportunitiesorconcerns,orprovidealternativeviewpointsanddifferentperspectives.

Accesstosupportviabusinessorganisations,andspecificallywomen’sbusinessorganisations,hasbeenakeythemeintheroundtablesessions.Inthissurveyonly41%ofrespondentsstatedtheyweremembersofabusinessorganisation,withthesamefigureformembershipofawomen-onlybusinessnetwork.Asmallpercentageofwomenweremembersofbothtypesoforganisations.Thesurveyidentifiesthatweneedtosupportandencouragemorewomentojointheexistingbusinessnetworksandensurethataccesstoexternalsupportnetworksisavailableinruralcommunities.

Thesurveyanddiscussiongroupsalsoexploredissuesaroundthelegislativeframeworkandgovernmentpoliciesthatcouldsupportgenderequality.

Over56%ofrespondentsweresupportiveoftheintroductionoffixedquotasforwomenonpublicboardsandjustover50%supportedtheintroductionofquotasfortheprivatesector,mirroringthefindingsandconclusionswithinthediscussionsandinterviewsessions.However,theemphasisonthebenefitsoftargets,andconcernsraisedoverthepotentialdetrimentaleffectofquotasbyage,werenotidentifiedinthesurvey.

Aswithinthediscussiongroups,thevastmajorityofwomeninthesurveywereinfavourofprivatecompaniesvoluntarilyreportingongenderstatisticsrelatedtoworkforcebreakdownsandpaygaps.

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Doyousupporttheintroductionofaquotasystemwhichguaranteesafixedpropertionofplacesforwomenonpublicboards?(%)60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes No

Doyousupporttheintroductionofaquotasystemwhichguaranteesafixedpropertionofplacesforwomenonprivateboards?(%)

Yes No

Doyouthinkthatprivatecompaniesshouldberequiredtoreportongenderstatisticsrelatedtotheirworkforceandearnings?(%)

Yes90.78%

No9.22%

56.03%

50.35% 49.65%

43.97%


Almost80%ofrespondentssupportedtheneedformorefamily-friendlypoliciesandtheirabilitytoimprovegenderequalityintheworkplace.

Whenaskedtoprovidespecificexamplesofhowthiscouldbeimplemented,themajoritycalledforgreaterflexibilityatworkandmorefocusonthepromotionofsharedleave.Manyofthosesurveyedconsideredthatthisshouldnotjustbepromotedtowomen.

Intermsofhowfemalerespondents“felt”withregardtoattitudesandviewsintheworkplace,mostwerepositivewhenaskedifwomenandmenweretreatedequally,with55%answeringyescomparedwith45%whosaidno.

WewerealsokeentounderstandviewsandopinionsonhowGovernmentorthecompanytheyworkedforcoulddomoretoimprovegenderequalityatwork.Thefollowingareaselectionofresponsesreceived:

Doyouthinkthatmorefamilyfriendlypolicieswillimprovegenderequalityintheworkplace?(%)

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes No

Inyouropinionoverall,doyouthinkwomenandmenaretreatedequallyinyourworkplace?(%)

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Yes No

Lead by example and promote successes

No – think the rules have gone far enough

Education from the earliest age needs to move away from gender stereotypes

My company has a severe cultural issue. I think it is past hope

20.42%

45%

55%

79.58%


Finally,weaskedrespondentsforanyfurthersuggestionsorideastosupportwomenthroughoutScotlandtoachievetheirambitionsatwork.Fromthevastnumberofsuggestionsreceived,mostfocusedonschool,education,culture,attitudes,employmentpracticeandleadership.Manyoftheseresponsesreinforcedviewsexpressedwithinthediscussiongroups.

■ “Myseniormanagerandareadirectorarebothwomen–verycapableandhavemadetheirgradeontheirbusinessqualities,notgender”

■ “Networkingisreallyimportantsothatwomenhavepeopletolearnfromandshareissuesandgoodpracticewith.Themorejoinedupthiscanbethebetter”

■ “IstronglybelievethatwomenaregrantedrecognitionintheUKbasedontheirabilities.Tosaythatacertainpercentofaboardshouldbefemaleisinmyopinionnotcorrect–businessshouldbebasedonpeople’scapabilities,nottheirgender,andbyprotestingthatacertainnumbershouldbewomencouldresultintheopinionthatcertainwomenhaveattainedboardstatuspurelyduetotheorganisationneedingtogaintherelevantfemalerepresentativepercentage”

■ “Startbyeducatingchildreninschoolaboutequalityintheworkplace,greateruseofmentoringforyoungwomenineducationandintheearlystagesoftheircareer,flexibleaffordablechildcare,particularlyforschoolagechildren”

■ “Educatemenandidentifymalechampionswithindifferentsectors”

■ “GroupsliketheLeanIncircleandChangingtheChemistryaredoinggreatworktoconnectwomenandgivethempracticaladviceandaccesstoothers.TheexistinggroupsareprimarilybasedincentralScotland.WeneedmorehelpintheNorthEastandruralareastoo.Outsidethebigcitiesthereisabiggerchallenge”

■ “Moreeducationforgirlsinschools;raisingexpectationofgirls;havinginspirationalfemaleleaderstalkingto5thand6thyearpupilsandexplaininghowtheyhadgottotheirpositionandthekindofthingstheythoughtabout.Showinggirlsandyoungwomenwhattheycandotohelpthemselvessucceed,aLeanInapproach”

■ “Weneedtheworkplacetobemoreopentochangeratherthanwomenhavingtoadopttofitthecurrentmodels.Wedon’tneedtobeatadeskearly/latetobeeffective.Womenneedtoaskformorehelpratherthaneffectivelysteppingoffthecareerladderbecauseit’stoohardtojugglefamilyandcareer.Weneedtostartasking/expectingourpartnerstosharetheworkloadathome”

■ “DowehaveamentormatchwithinScotland?Thatwouldbeahelpfulstart,forwomenatalllevelstosupportthosebelow.Seeinghigh-profilementellingtheirstoriesofsupport.Changewillcomethroughthosewiththecurrentpowerbase”

■ “Keepchallengingunfairbehaviour,all-malepanelsatconferences,all-malenominationsforawardsetc”


Chapter8

Final Conclusions and Recommendations


8.1Conclusions

Overthepastsixmonths,wehavesoughttogatherandcollateevidenceandcreateaknowledgebankofinformationtohelpunderstandthestatusofwomenomicsinScotland,andtoidentifythosekeyareasandissuesthatcoulddelivergreatestimpacttotheeconomyofScotlandandtotherole,positionandself-confidenceofwomenthemselves.

ThisReviewhasbeenconductedinaverydynamicandfluidcontext,withalmostweeklyreports,findingsandanalysisbeingreleasedontheroleofwomenintheeconomy.WhilstchallengingintermsofincorporatingthisfloodofinformationanddataintothisReview,ithasbeenwelcomed.Webelievethatthisclearlyreinforcesandhighlightsthatwenowhaveagreeduniversalacceptanceoftheimportanceofensuringweareenabling,supportinganddeveloping“allthetalents”intheeconomy,notjustwithinScotland,butacrosstheUKandglobally.

Whilstmanyofthesereports,analysesandsurveyshavebeenhelpfulinaddingtotheevidenceandknowledgebankwehavecreatedaspartofthisReview,whatisstilllackingisanagreednationalplanofactionorrecommendationsthatwilladdressthefundamentalissuesorleadtothestructuralreformnecessarywithintheeconomy.

TherearemanyreportsandpolicydocumentswithinScotlandthatlistrecommendationsonactionstotacklespecificissuessuchaslowpay,childcareprovision,boardmembership,STEMeducation,entrepreneurshipetc.However,thisReviewhasidentifiednosingleactionplanoroverviewthatseekstobringtheseissuesandtheprivate,publicandthirdsectorstogetherinScotland,ortolookatwaysinwhichGovernmentandbusinessescanworkmoreeffectivelyinpartnershiptoimplementa“GenderActionPlan”todrivechangeandeconomicgrowth.

Manywomenandbusinesseshavetoldusthisiswhattheywouldliketosee.WhilstwedonotbelievethatthiswillbeapanaceatoaddressgenderinequalityacrossScotland,wedoconsideritwillbeasignificantfirststep.

TheWomen’sBusinessCouncil,ataUKlevel,hasattemptedtoachievethis.However,ithasnoregionalrepresentationataScotlandorUKlevelandapproachestheissueofwomenomicspurelyfromabusiness-ledperspective,withlittlecontextofplaceorgeographyorconsiderationoftheeconomicimpactoftheSmithCommissionandDevosettlementongenderinScotland.

ThisisnotintendedasacriticismoftheworkoftheWomen’sBusinessCouncil,asinashortspaceoftimeithasmaderemarkableprogress.IthashighlightedtheissueofgenderandeconomiccontributionataUKGovernmentlevel,butitsimpactacrosstheUKandengagementwithinaneconomicpolicycontextinScotlandhasbeenminimal.

Whilstwerecognisetheimportanceandkeyroleofbusinessesindrivinggrowth,cultureandbehaviourchangeintheworkplace,wealsorecognisethatsuccesslinkedtogenderissuescannotbeachievedinavacuum.Itisonlybyjoiningthedotsandworkinginpartnershipwithotherswhoalsocontrol“leversofsuccess”thatwewillbeabletoachievethestepchangeineconomicgrowthlinkedtogenderthatweallwanttosee.

TheScottishGovernmentrecentlypublishedareport,undertakenbyNapierUniversity2014,inwhichtheyprovidedarangeofrecommendations,basedonbestpractice,toaddresstheissuesofwomenonboards.Thisreport’srecommendationsmirrormanyofourownfindingsandrecommendationslinkedtoimprovingaccesstotraining,mentoring,buildingthepipelineoftalent,improvingaccesstoprofessionalandbusinessnetworksandtheintroductionofvoluntaryreportingandquotas.

However,theissueofgenderandwomenomicswithinScotlandextendsbeyondpurelyincreasingthepercentageoffemaleboardrepresentation,childcareprovisionorpaygaps.ToachievethefulleconomicpotentialofwomeninScotlandwillrequireaconcertedandjoined-upeffortbyGovernment,businessesandtradeunionstotacklestructuralandculturalgenderdeficits.

8. Final Conclusions and Recommendations8


TheevidencewehaveanalysedsuggeststhatthereisahugetalentpotentialwithintheScottisheconomythatiscurrentlyeitheruntappedorwasted.WethereforeconcludethatthewomenomicspotentialinScotlandissignificant.However,toaddressthischallengeandtounlockthepotentialtomaximisetheeconomiccontributionthatwomencanmaketotheScottisheconomy,wewillneedtoundertakearangeofspecificmeasuresandactions.

ThisReviewbelievesthat,withinScotland,thereisaneedtoconsiderpolicyandmeasurestoaddressthreespecificareas:

1.MainstreamAttitudesandBehaviours2.MeasureforImpact3.MentorandLeadforChange

WeneedtoMainstream Attitudes and Behaviour towardsgenderandequalityintheworkplace,sothatitbecomesthewaywedobusinessorhowwemakeeconomicinvestmentdecisions,nota“women”or“feminist”issue.Similarly,weneedtochangeculturesandbehaviourinthehome,atschoolandinwidersocietysothatweneutraliseprejudiceandsocialconditioninglinkedtowork,caringrolesandcareerchoicesandmaximiselife-timeearningopportunitiesforeveryone.

Weneedto Measure for Impact byintroducingarangeofimpactmeasureslinkedtoscaleandexpectedreturnoninvestmentinnationalpoliciesandprogrammestoaddressgenderinequalitiesintheworkplaceandinfemaleentrepreneurship.Weneedtoensureacoordinatedandjoined-upapproachbybothGovernmentandtheprivatesector,atRegionalandCitylevels.ThisReviewconsidersthat“ifitgetsmeasured,itgetsdone”.Wealsoneedtomeasurethescale,focusandnatureofworkplaceinnovationwithinScotland,sharingbestpractice,knowledgeandacademicresourcesacrossprivate,publicandthirdsectors.

Wealsoneedtoensurethat,withinthepublic,privateandthirdsectors,we Mentor and Lead for Change throughaprogrammeofsustained,accessibleandrelevantsupport,mentoringandcoachingprogrammes.Wealsoneedtodemonstrateleadershipandtohaverelevantrolemodelsatschool,workandboardroom

level.Weneedourpublicagenciesandprivatecompaniestoprovideencouragementandsupportthroughtransparencyinpay,rolesandtrainingopportunities,andweneedtoinvestindevelopingouryoungfemalefutureleaders.

WithinthisReview,wehavethereforeidentifiedtenspecificmeasuresthatwebelievewilldeliverstepchangeintermsofeconomicgrowthandgenderequalityinScotland.

8.2 Recommendations: DeliveringtheChange

Mainstream Attitudes and Behaviours

1. Mainstreaming Womenomics – Creating a “Collective Culture”: A Gender Action PlanMuchoftheresearch,analysisandcontributionswehavereceivedhighlighttheneedforachangein“culture”atsociety,business,workplace,communityandhomelevelsaroundtheroleofwomen,careers,studyortrainingchoicesandtheirroleashomemakersandcarers.

McKinsey&Co.in2014highlightedtheimportanceofwhattheytermed“movingmind-sets”ongenderdiversity.Whilsttheyfocusedontheneedtochangecorporateculturestosupportmorewomentoreachseniorpositions,webelievethischangeinmind-setrequirementcanbeequallyappliedatnationallevel.

TounlocktheeconomicvalueofdiversitywithinScotlandwewillrequirestrongandvisiblepublicandprivateleadership,recognitionofthelengthoftimeitwilllikelytaketochangedeep-rootedsocialandculturalbehavioursandacoordinatedandholisticgender-neutralapproachacrossthepublic,privateandthirdsectors.

WebelievetheScottishGovernmentshouldprogresstheirdrivetoachievegreaterdiversityintheworkplaceinScotland.However,thisneedstobeundertakeninpartnershipwithwiderstakeholdergroups,mustcrosspoliticalpartydividesandmustresonatebeyondafocusonissuesofsocialjustice.


WithintheReviewprocess,wehavenotidentifiedasingleexampleofanation,outsidetheNordicStates,thathassoughttochangecultureandmindsetsongenderequalitythroughjointworkingbetweentheprivatesector,employerrepresentativesandGovernment.Therearemanygoodexampleswithincorporateorganisations,crosssectorsandwithinindividualbusinessesofprogrammesaimedataddressingworkplacegenderissues.Webelievethatequalitywillbeachievedthroughacoordinated“crowd”campaignandintegratedactionplanacrossthepublicandprivatesectorsimplementedatthesametimeandsupportedbyarangeoflegislativeandcompliancemeasures.

WehaveachievedthisinScotlandwithinthepublichealtharenalinkedtosmokinginpublicplacesanddrinkdriving;weshouldaimtoapplytheselearningstogenderequalityandworkplacediversity.Weneedto“callitout”,asmanywomenacrossScotlandhavetoldus.

Weneedtomainstreamgendertoneutraliseitspowertonegativelyimpactuponperformanceandachievement,whilststillcelebratingthediversity,talentsandcontributionofeveryonetotheeconomyofScotland.

ThisReviewbelievesanationalGenderActionPlanwillbeasignificantfirststepindeliveringthisambition.ThisReviewalsobelievesthattheUKandScottishGovernmentshavealeadershiproleinmakingthishappen.

2. Coordinating a National Approach: Need For Joined-up SolutionsThisReviewhasidentifiedafragmentedandlocalisedapproachbygovernmentacrosstheUKintacklingissuesofgenderandequalities.Post-1999wehavewitnessedamovetowardsgreaterlocalisationintacklinggenderinequality,withtheestablishmentofScottishofficesorinitiativesbymanytrade,industryandmembershipbodies.Similarly,theScottishGovernmenthavemovedtoimplementsocialpoliciesandprogrammesthat,whilstprogressiveinaddressingissuesofgenderinequalitywithinScotland,caninthemselvescreategreaterinequalityacrosstheUK.Whilsttheabilitytoprovidesolutionsthataddresslocal

orregionaleconomicneedcanbeaneffectiveuseofpublicresources,withinthegendercontextsomecontributorstothisReviewhaveidentifiedthepotentialissueof“unintendedconsequence”throughanemergingnon-alignmentofequalitiespolicymeasuresacrosstheUK.

Workundertakenwithintheareaofwomen’senterprisewouldalsosupportthisview.

Therefore,theneedforgreaternationalcoordination,UK-widesupportprogrammesandaccesstoadviceanddeliverymechanismshasbeenidentifiedbymanycontributorstothisReview.

WiththeintroductionofgreatereconomicpowerstoScotlandthroughtheScotlandAct2012,andtheSmithCommissionbringingfurtherdevolutionofpowerstotheScottishParliament,wewouldalsosuggestthatitistimelytoconsidertherole,focus,resourcesandremitwithinthisdevolvedframeworkoftheEqualityandHumanRightsCommissioninScotland.This,however,hasbeenbeyondthetermsofthisReview.

3. Changing Behaviours: Education, Family and CultureManyparticipantsandcontributorstothisReviewidentifiedtheneedtochangeculturesandmindsetsongenderandequalities.Thekeyrolesofthehome,schoolandpeergroupsareseenasessential,particularlyintheearlyyears.TheCurriculumforExcellence(CfE)isalsoseenbymanyasanidealplatformtotackleculturalissuesandgenderstereotypingfromanearlyage.

WithinthetimescalesofthisReview,wehavenotconsideredindetailthoseaspectsoftheCfEwithinScotlandthataddressequalities.

However,weconsiderthatmodulesshouldbedevelopedwitheducationalspecialiststhat seektore-profileScotland’syoungpeopleonissuesandperceptionsaboutdiversityandequality.Weshouldalsoaddressgenderbiasathome,atworkandinthecommunityfrom anearlyage.


Measure for Impact

4. Measuring Policy Impact: Gender Equalities IndexThevalueoftheGenderEqualitiesIndexinsupportingeconomicpolicyanddecision-makingwithinNorwayiswelldocumented.Webelievetheopportunity,expertiseanddataplatformsexistwithinScotlandtoallowsimilarbenchmarkmeasurestobeintroducedatalocalauthorityorcityregionlevel.ThisIndexwouldbedevelopedtoberelevantwithinaScottisheconomiccontext,applyingthosemeasuresappropriatetoeconomicgrowthandenablingthetrackingofprogressovertime.Thiswouldthenlinktomeasuresofgenderperformanceinemployment,businessstart-ups,educationpassratesetc.

5. Driving Investment: The Concept of a “Gender Dividend”WithinthetimeframeofthisReview,wehavenotbeenabletoundertakeanestimateofthespendorinvestmentcurrentlybeingmadewithinScotlandon“women”issues(withinpublic,privateorthirdsectororatanindividuallevel),nortolookattheROI,progressmadeorvalueforthepublicpursefromthatexpenditure.Itisnotevenclearfrompreliminaryanalysisthatsufficientdatameasuresexisttoenablethisworktobeundertaken.

Giventherelativenewnessofmanyofthefamily-friendlypolicymeasuresbeingintroducedbytheUKandScottishGovernments,nolongitudinalstudiesexisttomeasureimpact.GenderbudgetingframeworksalreadyexistwithinScotlandandarewellestablishedinbothchallengingandsupportingScottishGovernmentspendingandbudgetplans.

Webelievetheconceptofa“GenderDividend”couldbedevelopedtoallowmoreeffectivemonitoringofandtargetedinvestmentonthoseissuesthatwilldelivergreatestimpactfortheScottisheconomy,familiesandwomenthemselves.Manyofthetoolsandexpertiseneededtodevelopagenderdividendalreadyexist,soitisanticipatedthatasimilarmethodologycouldbeappliedtosupportwiderprivateandpublicsectorinvestmentplanningatacityorregionallevelwithregardtogenderimpact.

6 Implementing a Coordinated Approach: A Virtual Gender Resource NetworkIncollatinginformationanddataforthisReview,wehaveidentifiedamultiplicityofdatasources,informationsets,reviewsandresearchoutputsacrossarangeofthemes,sectorsandtimescales,mostofwhicharenotdirectlycomparable.IthasalsoproveddifficulttoextrapolatemanynationaldatasetstoaScottishnationalorregionallevel,andlikewisetocompareScottishgenderdataataUKorinternationallevel. Wewerealsostruckbythevolumeofacademicreports,sectororworkplace-specificinformationandpolicyinsightsthat,whilstbeingavailablewithinateachingandlearningcontext,werenotbeingsharedorcirculatedtopolicymakers,governmentorbusinesseswhocouldapplythisresearchknowledgewithinanoperational,businessinnovationorimprovementcontext.

Inaddition,duringthisReviewprocess,manybusinesseswelcomedtheopportunitytosharebestpractice,trainingresourcesandexpertisewithsmallerbusinessesororganisationsongender-relatedissues.Asimilarwillingnesstoshareandexchangeinformationandexperiencewasidentifiedwithincross-sectoraccreditationbodies,tradeorganisationsandindustrygroups.

OurdetailedanalysisoftheNorwegianapproachtogenderpolicyhashighlightedtheefficiencyandeffectivenessofStatisticsNorwayinallowingopenaccesstogender-specificeconometricdataandtheanalysis,informationandacademicresearchpapersandgender-focusedorganisationsthatlinktoit.

This“one-stopshop”approachlinkingtoeconomicdatainbothNorway(StatisticsNorway)andAustralia(HILDA)isanapproachthatcouldeasilybereplicatedinScotland.

However,webelievethatcombiningnationaleconomicdatasets,businessintelligence,bestpracticeandresources,andunderpinningthiswithaccesstoaScotland-wideacademicevidenceandresearchbase,wouldbeuniqueinaglobaleconomicdevelopmentcontext.Webelievethattherewouldbeeconomicvalue


inhavingcommongenderdatasetsforpolicyandplanning,butalsotoprovideacentreofexcellencetosupportSMEsandsmallercharitableorthirdsectororganisationswhodonothaveaccesstogendertrainingorsupportresources.

SuchaNetworkorpoolofresourcescouldalsohaveresponsibilityforimpactmeasuresandeffectivenessmonitoring,determiningeffectivenessofgovernment-ledgenderorequalitiesprogrammesandforsupportinginternationallinkstotheUnitedNationsandotherinternationaldevelopmentorganisationsfocusedonwomen’seconomicissues.

Itwouldalsoimproveknowledgeexchangefromacademicexpertsthroughtobusinessownersandleadersandtopolicydecision-makers.Thiscoordinatedapproachwouldalsohelpdelivergreatervalueandinsightstothewideracademicandresearchcommunitybyprovidingopenaccesstoaninformedbusinessevidencebase.

WhilstthefutureformatandremitoftheEqualitiesandHumanRightsCommissionisamatterfortheUKGovernment,webelievethereissynergyandvaluetobegainedintermsofeconomicgrowthbylinkingregulationorassessmenttothepracticallyfocusedresourcesandsupportservicesthatcouldbeprovidedbyestablishingaconnectednetworkofexpertiseandknowledge.

7. Driving Innovation: Workplace Policy InnovationThisReviewhasidentifiedthetrendsinchangingworkforceandbusinessneedsthatareemerginginmanybusinessesacrossScotland.AllbusinessesparticipatingintheReviewidentifiedthepaceofbusinesschangeandtheneedtoensureatrained,flexibleandmotivatedworkforce.Formanysectors,therewerestrongbusinessdriversintheneedtorecruitmorefemaleworkers;nota“nicetodo”buta“needtodo”.Alliedtothiswastherecognitionoftheneedtoensurefamily-friendlyandflexibleworkingarrangementsthatwouldretainandgrowtalentinanincreasinglycompetitiveandglobalmarketplace.

Likewise,manywomenthemselvesrecognisedthechangingneedsoftheworkplace.However,formanywomen,particularlythoseinearlytomid-careerrange,accesstoaffordablechildcarewasseenasessentialtosupportareturntowork.TheneedforuniversalchildcareprovisionanditsbenefitstoeconomicperformancehavebeenwidelydocumentedandevidencedwithinScotland.Wewouldthereforeaddoursupporttothatprinciple,butwouldaddtheprovisooftheneedtoconsideraffordabilityandthecostofdeliverytobusinesses,recognisingthespecificissueslinkedtoruralandislandcommunities.

Wewouldhighlightthedesireformoreinnovationandflexibilitywithintheworkplacethatwasmentionedbymanywomen,particularlythosewhoseektobalancechildcareandworkcommitments.

Similarly,wewouldrecommendthatconsiderationisgiventocommunityhubsandalocalisedapproachtobusinessstart-upsandoperationsbypublicandprivatesectororganisations.Accesstotransportandfamilyandcarecommitmentsoftenimpactuponcareeropportunitiesandaccesstobusinessnetworksandsupportservices.Byconsideringfemalelabourforceconcentrations,publictransportaccess,femalebusinesssupportnetworksetc.,thiswillhelpsupportandencouragemorewomentoenterthelabourforce,returnfrommaternityleaveandprogresstheircareers.

WewouldproposetheestablishmentofaWorkplaceInnovationGrouprepresentingpublic,private,andthirdsectororganisationsandtradeunionstohelpdriveinnovationinworkplacesacrossScotland.ThiscouldbelinkedtotheworkcurrentlyundertakenbySkillsDevelopmentScotlandandbeintegraltothenationalskillsdevelopmentplansandnationaleconomicstrategy.


Mentor and Lead for Change

8. Investing in Leaders: Public Board QuotasWithinScotland,therehasalreadybeenanextensivepublicconsultationontheproposaltointroduceagenderquotasystemtoallpublicbodies.IthasnotbeentheintentionwithinthisReviewtorevisitthedecisionbytheScottishGovernmenttomovetolegislationonthismatterinthenearfuture.

However,thisReviewhasinvestigatedinsomedetailtheNorwegianandEuropeanexperienceswithregardtoboardquotas,andwehavealsoconsideredcarefullytheviewsandopinionsofmanyfemalerepresentativeorganisationsandgroups.Wehavealsotakentheopportunitytodiscussthisissuewithinourconsultationprocessandonaone-to-onebasiswithmanybusinessandcivicleaders.

Inconclusion,wehavefoundwidespreadsupportamongstcontributorsfortheintroductionofboardquotastopublicbodies.However,thereisverystrongsupportforthistobeaccompaniedby“sunset”clauses,sothatthiswillbephasedoutovertimeasbehavioursandcultureschange.

WehavebeenmindfulofthechequeredsuccessofquotasinNorway,intermsofcreatingasmallcohortofindividualswhosecureappointments,andthelackofsuccessofquotasinestablishingafemaletalentpipelineintoandfromseniormanagementatboardlevel.

Therefore,theReviewrecommendsthattheintroductionofquotastopublicbodiesalsoneedstobeaccompaniedbyacommitmentandinvestmentbytheScottishGovernmenttoa“public”programmeoftalentdevelopmentlinkedtogenderwithinpublicorganisationsandcloselyalignedwithprivatesectorinitiatives.Withappropriatemeasures,impactsandmilestonesestablished.

9. Developing the Talent Pipeline: Voluntary Equalities Disclosure (Code for Companies in Scotland)Intermsoftheissueofquotas,asmallminorityofsurveyrespondentsdidindicate

thattheyfavouredlegislationforpubliclimitedcompanies.However,themajorityofcontributorsexpressedwidespreadsupportforthedevelopmentofa“voluntarycodeofconduct”forprivatecompanies.Thisprinciplecouldbeextendedtothirdsector,charityandsocialenterpriseorganisations.

Itisrecognisedthatallpublicsectororganisationshaveequalityreportingobligations,andthatlargeremployeeswillsoonberequiredtopublishgenderpayinformation.Whilstcontributorsconsidereditwasnotappropriatetoextendthistotheprivatesector,itwasconsideredthatScotlandcouldbeseentobeleadingthewayinestablishingavoluntarycodethatwouldprovideinformationongenderperformancelinkedtojoblevels,grades,paybandsetc.WerecommendthatmorebusinessesshouldbeencouragedtofollowtheThink,Act,ReportFramework.

Werecognisethatthiswillrequirefurtherdiscussionacrosstheprivateandthirdsectors,butmanyorganisationsalreadycollateandmonitorthisinformationandrecogniseitsvalueinhelpingtocreateandsupportthefemaletalentpipelineintoleadershipandboardrolesandhaveindicatedawillingnesstosharewithothercompanies.

10. Building Confidence and Skills: A National Joined-up Approach to Female Mentoring Programmes and Improved Access to NetworksTheneedforeffectivementoringandsupportnetworksforwomenatallstagesintheircareersisarequirementthathasbeenrecognisedinmanystudies,reportsandresearchinputstothisReview.TheNapierUniversitystudyin2014onbehalfoftheScottishGovernmentalsoidentifiedmentoringandbusinessnetworksaskeyrequirementstosupportmorewomeninScotlandontoboards.ItisalsoarequirementthathasbeenhighonthelistofrequestsfrommanyfemalecontributorstothisReview.Theneedformoreeffectivementoringandaccesstosupportnetworkswasidentifiedinourdiscussionswithallages,inallsectorsandfromacrossallareasofScotland.


Mostcontributorsconsidereditwouldassistwitheducationandtrainingplanning,careerchoice,personalandbusinessdevelopment,buildingconfidenceandhelpingtosupportaccesstoleadershipopportunities.Theeconomicbenefitsandvaluearewelldocumentedintheresearchevidence.

TheReviewalsoidentifiedtheneedforalife-stageapproachtomentoring,startingfromearlyyearsschoolingthroughtoseniormanagementcoachingforboardpositions.Thereisaneedforajoined-upapproach,whichensuresthatateverystageofawoman’scareerthereareopportunitiesandexternalsupportnetworksavailabletoofferguidanceandadvice.ItwasconsideredessentialforeconomicgrowthbymanycontributorsfromkeysectorsincludingITC,professionalservices,engineering,oilandgas,andlifesciences.

AnumberofprogrammesoperatingwithinScotland,inboththepublicandprivatesectors,havebeenheldupbycontributorsasbestpracticeexamples,includingthoseoperatedbytheInstituteofDirectors,theScottishGovernment,EYandTescoBanktonameonly

afew.TherearealsoanumberofprogrammesbeingdeliveredthroughorganisationssuchasWomenonBoards,ChangingtheChemistry,InspirationalJourney,30%Club,LeanInScotlandetc.thatareallaimedatsupportingcareerprogression,andwhichhavebeenwelcomedbyfemalecontributorstotheReview.

Partofthechallengeformanywomenistounderstandandbeawareoftherangeandfocusofmanyoftheseprogrammes.Therefore,wewouldsuggestthatthereisaneedfora“NationalMentorandNetworkingDataBank”tobeestablished.Thatcouldprovidedetailsofandeasyaccesstothesementorprogrammesandorganisations,withacalendarofeventsandactivitiesprovidedacrossthecountry.

WewouldalsoproposethattheScottishGovernmentconsidertheprovisionofa“careermentor”toallyoungpeopleinScotland,overandabovetheprogrammeofcareerguidanceandadvice.Moreover,werecommendthateasieraccesstoexternalmentorshipisavailabletoyoungwomenintheworkplace.


Chapter9

References


9. References■ Houston,D.andMarks,G.“TheRoleof

PlanningandWorkplaceSupportinReturningtoWorkAfterMaternityLeave”BritishJournalofIndustrialRelations41(2),2003.

■ InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch“Who’sBreadwinning”,2013.

■ InstituteofFiscalStudies“NewbornsandNewSchools:CriticalTimesinWomen’sEmployment”,2006.

■ InstitutionalShareholderServices“GenderDiversityonBoards:AReviewofGlobalTrends”,2014.

■ InternationalLabourOrganization“WomeninBusinessandManagement:GainingMomentum”,2015.

■ Kunze,A.andMiller,A.R.“WomenHelpingWomen?EvidencefromPrivateSectorDataonWorkplaceHierarchies”,NBERWorkingPaperNo20761,2014.

■ Mckay,A.“Women,ScotlandandtheCrisisinEconomics”,OpenDemocracy,2013.

■ McKinsey&Co.GlobalSurvey“MovingMind-setsonGenderDiversity”,2014.

■ OECD“ExecutiveSummaryinClosingtheGenderGap:ActNow”,2012.

■ Olsen,W.Gash,V.,Vandecasteele,L.andHeuvelman,H.“TheGenderPayGapintheUK1997-2007”,GovernmentEqualitiesOffice,2010.

■ PewResearchCenterhttp://www.pewresearch.org/.

■ Razzu,Giovanni“GenderinequalityintheLabourMarketintheUK”OxfordScholarshipOnline,2014.

9■ Altman,DrRos“ANewVisionforOlder

Workers:Retain,Retrain,Recruit”,2015.

■ Betrand,Marianne,Black,JensenandLleras-Muney“BreakingtheGlassCeiling?TheEffectofBoardQuotasonFemaleLabourMarketOutcomesinNorway”NBERWorkingPaperNo.20256,2014.

■ Brierton,JackieMBE“ExchangeofGoodPracticesonGenderEquality:EncouragingFemaleEntrepreneurship,DiscussionPaper,EuropeanCommission”,2014.

■ BurtReport“InclusiveSupportforWomeninEnterprise”,2015.

■ CouncilofEconomicAdvisers“SecondAnnualChair’sReport”,2014.

■ DaviesReviewAnnualReport,“WomenonBoards”,2014.

■ DaviesReview“WomenonBoards”,February2011.

■ DepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills“SharedParentalLeave:PublicAttitudes,CommissionedResearch”,carriedoutbyOpinionMatters,2015.

■ EHRC“ModernApprenticeships.Equality&TheEconomy:SpreadingTheBenefits”,2013.

■ EY“Women.FastforwardTheTimeforGenderParityisNow”,2014.

■ Fagan,C.,GonzalezMenendez,M.andGomezAnson.S.(eds)“WomenonCorporateBoardsandinTopManagement:EuropeanTrendsandPolicy”,2012.

■ GovernmentEqualitiesOfficeandEverywoman“TheGenderPayGapMatters”,2015.

http://www.pewresearch.org/

http://www.pewresearch.org/


■ RoyalAcademyofEngineering“Britain’sGotTalentedEngineers”2013.

■ ScottishGovernment“ChildcareandLabourMarketParticipation”,2014.

■ ScottishGovernmentCommunitiesAnalyticalServicesReport“MaximisingEconomicOpportunitiesforWomeninScotland”2015.

■ ScottishGovernment“ConsultationonWomenonBoards”,2014.

■ ScottishGovernment“Women’sEmploymentandSupportNetworkandResources”,2013.

■ ScottishGovernment“Women’sEmploymentSummitEvidencePaper”,2013.

■ ScottishParliament“UnderemploymentinScotland”,2013.

■ Sealy,R.andVinnicombe,S.“TheFemaleFTSEBoardReport2013:FalseDawnofProgressforWomenonBoards?”CranfieldSchoolofManagement”2013.

■ StatisticsNorwayResearchDepartment,DiscussionPaperNo.767January2014“TheIntergenerationalTransferoftheEmploymentGenderGap”.

■ StatisticsNorwaywww.ssb.no.en.

■ Stephan,U.,Hart,M.andDrews,C.“UnderstandingMotivationsforEntrepreneurship:AReviewofRecentResearchEvidence”,2015.

■ TheEmploymentResearchInstitute,Edinburgh.

NapierUniversity“OvercomingBarrierstoEqualityandDiversityRepresentationonPublic,PrivateandThirdSectorBoardsinScotland”,2014.

■ TUC“ThePregnancyTest:EndingDiscriminationatWorkforNewMothers”,2014.

■ UKCommissionforEmploymentandSkills“HorizonScanningandScenarioBuilding:ScenarioforSkills2020”,2010.

■ WiSEBriefingSheet“TheEconomicCaseforInvestinginHighQualityChildcare”,2013.

■ Women’sBusinessCouncil“WomenandtheEconomy”GovernmentActionPlan,2013.

■ CharteredInstituteofPersonnelandDevelopment(CIPD)“FlexibleWorkingProvisionandUptake”2012.

■ Women’sEnterpriseScotland“WomeninEnterprise:AFrameworkandActionPlan”ScottishGovernment,2014.

■ Wood,SirIan“EducationWorkingForAll!”2014.

■ Inundertakingthiswork,weacknowledgetheextensivedatasets,informationandanalysiscurrentlyavailableviatheScottishGovernment,theScottishParliamentandSkillsDevelopmentScotland(SDS).Inparticular,ininformingthisReview,wehavedrawnextensivelyonthedatasetsandinformationcontainedintheSPICeLabourMarketupdates,theOfficeforNationalStatisticsandtheAnnualSurveyofHoursandEarnings(ASHE).WealsoacknowledgetheextensivedataandresearchaccessedfromClosetheGapandtheSTUC.

http://www.ssb.no.en


ThroughthisAct,paysecrecyclausesarenolongerenforceable.Inaddition,legislationwasintroducedin2014thatrequiresemployerswholoseequalpaycasestoconductafullequal payaudit.InScotland,theregimeisdifferent tothatoperatinginbothEnglandandWales, withadditional“specificduties”linkedtoareas suchaspublishingpaygapinformationand equalityoutcomes,andreviewingpolicyandpractices,awardcriteriaandconditionsfor publicprocurement.

The2010ActbuildsonpreviouslegislationbutalsofollowsthreemajorEuropeanDirectives:theEqualTreatmentDirective,theRacialEqualityDirectiveandtheDirectiveestablishingageneralframeworkforequaltreatmentinemploymentandoccupation.ThislegislativeframeworkappliesacrossGreatBritain,thoughNorthernIrelandhasitsownequalitylegislation.

TheSmithCommissionAgreement,publishedinNovember2014,recommendsthatpowers,including,butnotlimitedto,theintroductionofgenderquotasinrespectofpublicbodiesinScotland,bedevolvedtotheScottishParliament.TheUKGovernmentpublisheddraftclausesinJanuary2015thatdelivertheAgreementandgiveeffecttothisrecommendation,andthemainWestminsterpartieshavecommittedtolegislationinthefirstQueen’sSpeechofthenewParliamenttoimplementthis.

Extension of Flexible WorkingIn2014,theUKGovernmentextendedtherighttorequestflexibleworkingtoallemployeesthathaveworkedforthesameemployerforatleast26weeks.Thisdoubledthenumberofemployees

entitledtoapplyforflexibleworkingconditionstoover20million.Itisestimatedthatthiswillcreateovertwomillionrequestsayear.

ManycontributorstothisReviewhaveidentifiedthebenefitsofflexibleworkingtotheircareersandfamilylife.Researchalsosuggeststhatflexibleworkingcanprovideemployerswithaccesstoawiderpoolofskillsandtalent,improvedrecruitmentandretentionrates(76%),andincreasedstaffmotivationandproductivity(73%)(CIPD,2012).TheUKGovernmentestimatesthattherighttorequestflexibleworkingwillcreatebusinessbenefitsofnearly£117millionover10years (refhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/82794/12-1270-modern-workplaces-response-flexibleworking-impact.pdf).

Introduction of Shared Parental LeaveSharedparentalleaveandpaycomesintoeffectforbabiesdueonorafter5April2015andadoptionsonorafter5April2015.Underthisnewscheme,workingcoupleswillbeabletoshareuntakenmaternityleaveandpay,followingthefirsttwoweeksrecoveryperiodthatmothershavetotakeoffafterbirth,soupto50weeks’leaveand37weeksofpaycanbeshared.ArecentsurveybyBIScommissionedbytheDepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills(2015)showedthat,inScotland51.6%ofpeoplethinkthatthemainresponsibilityforchildcareinahouseholdshouldbesharedequally.

Itisanticipatedthatthisnewsystemwillgive bothparentsmorechoiceandfreedominhow theysharethecareoftheirchildinthefirstyearafterbirth.

Appendix A: UK and Scotland: Additional Background

InApril2011,anewpublicsectorequalitydutyintheEqualityAct2010cameintoforce.Thisisoftenreferredtoasthe“generalduty”.Thiscoverstherelevantprotectedcharacteristicsofage,disability,genderreassignment,pregnancyandmaternity,race,religionorbelief,sexandsexualorientation.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents


Other Relevant UK Government InitiativesThe Women’s Business CouncilTheWomen’sBusinessCouncilisanindependentworkinggroupsetuptoensurerealactionbytheUKGovernment,businessesandotherstomaximisewomen’scontributiontotheeconomy.Themembersareallbusinesspeopleworkinginarangeofsectors–includingadvertising,recruitment,enterprise,retail,legal,financialandpharmaceutical.

Theirinitialfindingsshowedthat,byequalisingthelabourforceparticipationratesofmenandwomen,theUKcouldfurtherincreaseeconomicgrowthby0.5percentagepointsperyear,withpotentialgainsof10%ofGDPby2030.Ifwomenweresettingupandrunningnewbusinessesatthesamerateasmen,itisestimatedwecouldhaveanextraonemillionfemaleentrepreneurs.

FollowingthelaunchoftheWomen’sBusinessCouncilreportandrecommendationsin2013,animplementationprogrammewillrunfromSeptember2013toJune2015.TheprogrammecomplementsthedeliverablesintheGovernmentActionPlan,announcedon7November2013.(WomenandEconomyActionPlan,GovernmentEqualitiesOffice).

TheCouncilhavebeenveryactiveintermsofbusinessengagementinEnglandthroughaprogrammeofindustryeventsandbroadcastmedia.However,whilstanationalinitiative,ithashadlittledirectengagementwithbusinessesorstakeholdergroupsbasedinScotland.

ManyoftheconclusionsoftheWomen’sBusinessCouncilare,however,equallyrelevantwithinScotlandandarethereforemirroredinthisReview.ThereisaneedtoconsiderthepredominantlySMEbusinessbaseandthehigherlevelsofpublicsectoremploymentthatcharacterisetheScottishlabourmarketcomparedwiththerestoftheUK(21%asopposedto17.5%in2014)(ONSRegionalPublicSectorEmployment2014,excludingNorthernIreland).

ThefocusonwomeninenterprisehasalsobeenenhancedbytherecentpublicationoftheLorelyBurtReview(TheBurtReport:InclusiveSupportforWomenInEnterprise2015),by

theUKGovernment’sWomeninEnterpriseAmbassador,inwhichanumberofadditionalactionswereidentifiedinrelationtothepromotionofwomen’senterpriselinkedtothe“BusinessisGreat”initiative.TheconclusionsofthisReportmirrormuchoftheworkalreadyunderwaywithinScotlandonwomen’senterpriseandareoutlinedinSection6.3.

Women on Boards – Lord Davies ReviewLordDaviesisleadingavoluntaryandwell-publicisedapproachtoincreasingthenumberofwomenonboardsto25%bytheendof2015.TheUKGovernmentalsohaveatargetthat50%ofnewpublicappointeesshouldbewomenbytheendofthisParliament,withtheaimthatatleasthalfofappointmentstopublicboardsby2015shouldbewomen.

Think Act ReportThink,Act,Reportisavoluntaryinitiativedesignedtoincreasetransparencyaroundwomenintheworkforce,onissuessuchasrecruitment,retention,promotionandpay.Over275companieshavesignedup,coveringover2.5millionemployees,includingmanyScottish-basedcompanies,suchasRoyalBankGroup,StandardLifeandAberdeenAssetManagement.

Asnotedearlier,thegenderpaygapislinkedtotheoccupationsandsectorsinwhichwomentraditionallywork,andthesesectorstendtobelowerpaid.Therefore,transparencyaroundgenderequalityintheworkplaceisseenasakeymechanismfordrivingprogressonthisissue.Think,Act,Reportasksemployerstotakeactiontoaddressissuesofequalityandsharebestpracticesothatcompaniescanlearnfromeachother.

Additional Policy Initiatives and MeasuresThe“GenderPayGapMatters”report(GovernmentEqualitiesOfficeandEverywoman,2015)alsoidentifiesanumberofadditionalmeasurestoaddresscareerchoice,totransformtheworkplaceforwomenandtopromotegreaterpaytransparency.Theseincludeanumberofspecificprogrammesruninpartnershipwithbusinessesincluding:YourLife,whichaimstodoubletheproportionofundergraduatedegreestakenbywomeninengineeringandtechnologyby2030;supportingtheInspiringWomencampaignto


getmorewomentosharecareerexperiencesinschools;andfundingoftheSTEMAmbassadorsTomorrowsEngineerscampaignandtheOpeningDoorsprogrammewiththeInstituteofPhysics.

Inaddition,acodeofconducthasbeenlaunchedforexecutivesearchcompaniesaimedatimprovinggenderbalanceonboards.

Alloftheseinitiativesandprogrammesoperateonapan-nationalbasis,butfeedbackfromtargetcompaniesandparticipantsintheroundtablesessionswouldsuggestthat,withinScotland,awarenessandparticipationisrelativelylow.

Other Relevant Scottish Government InitiativesTheScottishGovernmenthaveinstigatedanumberofScotland-specificmeasuresaimedatlinkinggenderandequalityissuestowidereconomicgrowth,educationandattainment,skills,careerdevelopmentandhealthpolicy.Throughtheirownpolicieslinkedtoequalpay,flexibleworkingandpublicappointments,theyareseekingtoplayaleadershiproleinaddressinggenderissuesinScotland.

Theseincludeexpandingearlylearningandchildcareprovision,andincreasingflexibilityandchoiceforparents,withplanstoincreasefundedearlylearningandchildcareto30hoursaweekduringthenextParliament.TheScottishGovernmentarealsoimplementingtherecommendationsoftheCommissionforDevelopingScotland’sYoungWorkforce,implementingtheWomeninEnterpriseActionFrameworkandsupportingCareerWisetoencouragegirlsandyoungwomentoconsidercareersinScience,Technology,EngineeringandMaths(STEM).

TheFirstMinister,thefirstfemaleFirstMinisterappointed,hasestablisheda50/50Cabinetandhasalsocommittedtointroducinggenderquotasontheboardsofpublicbodies.

Inaddition,thereisanEqualOpportunitiesCommitteewithintheScottishParliamentwiththeremittomonitorandreviewprogressandissuesrelatedtogenderandwiderequalitiesandtoseek

evidenceandexpertinputtoinformtheworkoftheParliament.ThishasprovedahelpfulchannelforcivicandrepresentativegroupstobothinformScottishparliamentariansandraiseissuesofconcern.

TheScottishGovernmentalsoheldaWomen’sEmploymentSummitin2013tobringkeystakeholdersandpartnerstogethertodiscussanddebatetheissuesofgenderintheworkplaceandfortheeconomy.ThisdialoguehascontinuedthroughtheScottishWomen’sConventionnetworktohelpinformanddevelopfutureScottishGovernmentpolicy.

Equality and Budgetary Advisory Group (EBAG)EBAGisanon-statutoryadvisorygroup,convenedbytheScottishGovernment.TheirremitistohelpshapetheScottishGovernment’sequalityapproachtothebudgetplanningprocess.Theirroleistoprovideadviceonconsideringtheequalityimplicationsofbudgetarydecisionsacrossallpolicyareas;contributetomappingthepathwaybetweenevidence,policyandspend;improvethepresentationofequalityinformationintheScottishbudgetdocuments;andcontributetoimprovedcommitmentto,andawarenessof,mainstreamingequalityintopolicyandbudgetprocesses.

Scottish Women’s ConventionTheScottishWomen’sConvention(SWC)wassetupbytheScottishExecutivein2003inrecognitionoftheneedtoensurewomen’svoicesarereachingpolicymakers.TheyarefundedbytheScottishGovernmenttocommunicateandconsultwithwomeninScotlandtohelpinformpublicpolicy.TheSWChavebeenahelpfulchannelinhelpingtocampaignandlobbyonbehalfofwomen’sissuessinceitsinception.

The Council of Economic AdvisersTheCouncilofEconomicAdvisersisanindependentadvisorygrouptoScotland’sFirstMinister.Membershipconsistsofexpertsfromacrossacademiaandtheprivatesector,andincludestwoNobellaureates(ProfessorSirJamesMirrleesandProfessorJosephStiglitz).TheCouncilprovideadviceonvariousissuesrelatedtoScotland’seconomicperformance.


TheCouncilconsideredthepotentialeconomicandsocialimpactsofanexpansioninchildcareprovisioninScotlandintheirmeetingsofAugust2013andMarch2014,withbackgroundinformationthatinformedtheCouncil’sdeliberationsbeingpresentedintheirSecondAnnualChair’sReport (May2014).Intheirconsiderationofthisissue,theCouncilrecognisedthepotentialforchildcaretosupporteconomicandsocialimprovementsinScotland,particularlywithregardtoreducingbarrierstolabourmarketparticipationamongstparentsofyoungchildren.

ItalsoconsideredthebroaderissueofeconomicopportunitiesforwomeninScotlandattheirmeetinginNovember2014,takinginbarrierstoeconomicopportunitysuchaschildcare,parentalleaveandflexibleworking(whichreducethegainstoworkforwomenandmitigateagainstlabourmarketattachment),andthegenderpaygap.

International AspectsWithinScotland,theScottishWomen’sConventionhavebeenstrongadvocatesandhaveworkedwithwomen’sorganisationsacrossScotlandtoraiseawarenessoftheUNMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDG),aswellastheCommissionontheStatusofWomen(CSW)andtheConventionontheEliminationofallFormsofDiscriminationagainstWomen(CEDAW).Engender,whoprovideagenderedanalysisofScottishGovernmentpolicies,havealsobeenveryactiveinfollowingprogressagainstinternationalobligations. CEDAWisaninternationaltreatythatcameintoforcein1981andissignedby188states.Statesarerequiredtoproducereportseveryfouryears.SWCactedtocollateandinputviewsofwomenacrossScotlandtothe2014UKGovernmentReporttotheCEDAWExaminingCommittee.

WhilsttheremaynotappeartobeanobviouslinkbetweenMDGs/CSW/CEDAWandScottisheconomicgrowth,intheirwork,SWChighlighttheneedfortheScottishGovernmenttoraiseawarenessoftheseinternationalobligationsforScotland.WhilsttheoverallaimsoftheMDGsaremet,SWC,throughtheirengagementwithwomen,

havehighlightedanumberofissuesstilltobeaddressed,includingaccesstofullandproductiveemploymentduetolackofchildcareprovisionandaccessto“decent”publictransport,issueslinkedtodiscriminationandbarriersthatstillexistwithineducationandtheperceptionofwomeninthemedia.

TheUKGovernment’sEqualitiesOfficeandtheScottishGovernment’sEqualitiesUnitsworkcloselyonthisinternationalagendaandensureacross-UKrepresentativevoiceonkeyissuesandcompliance.

Workplace FocusInadditiontothelegislative,political,geo-demographicandsocio-economicframeworksinwhichbusinessesandorganisationsoperatewithinScotland,wealsoneedtoconsiderthesupportorganisations,tradeassociations,businessgroupsandnetworks,civicandthirdsectororganisations,lobbyinggroupsandsectorspecialiststhatbusinessesthemselveshavecreatedtosupporttheiractivities.WithinScotland,wehavealargenumberofmembership,professional,geographical,sectorandgenderorraceorganisationsthatareactiveinpromotingandsupportingmembers’interestsandobjectives.Manyoftheseorganisationshaveimplementedarangeofprogrammesandinitiativestoaddressspecificmemberororganisationalneedslinkedtowomenintheworkplace,skillsdevelopmentandbusinessstart-upsandsupportservices.ThisincludesprogrammesdeliveredbyBusinessintheCommunity,theFederationofSmallBusinesses,InstituteofDirectors,ScottishChambersofCommerce,ScottishCouncilforDevelopmentandIndustry,ConfederationofBritishIndustry,ScottishFinancialEnterprise,ScotlandIS,RoyalAcademyofEngineering,InstitutionofCivilEngineers,TheLawSocietyofScotland,CharteredInstituteofBankers,OilandGasUKandmanyothers.

ThisisinadditiontocompanyandworkplaceactivityandbestpracticeframeworksalreadyusedbymanycompanieswithinScotlandtopromotegenderandaddressequalityissues.

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/Meetings/30-08-2013



http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/05/7977


Appendix B: Survey QuestionsAbout You

1. Please select your age from the following options:

20–25 25–35 35–45 45–55 55+

2. Do you currently work full-time or part-time?

Full-time Part-time

3. Do you work in the public or private sector? PublicSector PrivateSector

4. Please indicate the sector that you currently work in:

5. Please select your salary band from the following options:

Lessthan£20,000perannum £20,000-£40,000perannum £40,000-£60,000perannum Morethan£60,000perannum

6. Is the organisation that you work for located in Scotland, the UK, or overseas?

Scotland UK Overseas

Your Thoughts on Gender Equality

7. Do you believe that Gender Equality has been achieved in Scotland?

Yes No

8. If you answered No to Question 7, what further actions do you think need to be taken to promote equality in the workplace?

9. Do you consider your career has been impacted by or affected by your gender?

Yes No

10. If you answered Yes to Question 9 in what ways has your career been affected?

Your Career Ambitions

11. What support do you need to achieve your career ambitions?


12. Do you have a mentor? Yes No

13. If you have a mentor or would like one, what value do you think a mentor gives or could give you?

14. Are you currently a member of a business organisation?

Yes No

15. Are you a member of a women’s business organisation?

Yes No

The Legislative Framework

16. Do you support the introduction of a quota system which guarantees a fixed proportion of places for women on public boards?

Yes No

17. Do you support the introduction of a quota system which guarantees a fixed proportion of places for women on private boards?

Yes No

18. Do you think that private companies should be required to report on gender statistics related to their workforce and earnings?

Yes No

19. Do you think that more family friendly policies will improve gender equality in the workplace?

Yes No

Final Thoughts

20. In your opinion overall, do you think women and men are treated equally in your workplace?

Yes No

21. Are there any other ways that you think the Government or your company could do more to improve gender equality at work?

22. We would welcome any further ideas or suggestions to support women throughout Scotland to achieve their ambitions at work

the role and contribution of women in the scottish …...the role and contribution of women in the...

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