Ref. | Recommendation | Scottish Executive Response |
|---|
A. | POLICY ISSUES |
1. | EMPLOYMENT |
1.1. | Equal pay |
1.1.1. | Developing a strategic plan for reducing the gender pay gap, including setting a target | Accepted in part |
1.1.2. | Prioritising sectors for action on equal pay | Accepted |
1.1.3. | Pay reviews | Accepted in part |
1.1.4. | Public sector procurement policies | Accepted |
1.1.5. | Flexible working arrangements | Accepted |
1.1.6. | Programmes to tackle gender segregation | Accepted |
1.1.7. | Women decision makers in business and economic development | Accepted |
1.2. | Low pay, job segregation and unemployment |
1.2.1. | Remove barriers to women pursuing particular careers | Consider |
1.2.2. | Encourage more women and men into non-traditional areas of work | Accepted |
1.2.3. | Training audits | Accepted |
1.2.4. | In work training opportunities | Accepted |
1.2.5. | Mentoring for business start-ups | Consider |
1.2.6. | Public sector strategies on pay | Accepted in part |
1.2.7. | Careers guidance and advice | Accepted |
1.3. | Promoting Diversity in the Workplace |
1.3.1. | Make the business case for diversity | Accepted in part |
1.3.2. | Subsidies and incentives for SMEs | Consider |
1.3.3. | Benefits of flexible working opportunities | Accepted in part |
1.3.4 | Flexible working in the public sector | Accepted |
1.3.5. | Link to forthcoming legislation on age discrimination | Accepted |
1.3.6. | Link to Fresh Talent initiative | Consider |
2. | CHILDCARE |
2.1. | Increasing provision and setting targets on childcare | Accepted |
2.2. | Improved funding mechanisms for childcare | Consider |
2.3. | Community based childcare and pilot projects | Accepted |
2.4. | Social Economy childcare initiatives | Accepted |
2.5. | Encouragement of employer support for childcare | Accepted |
2.6. | Enhancing the quality and value of the workforce | Accepted in part |
2.7. | Liaison with UK Government | Consider |
2.8. | Properly valuing unpaid childcare work | Consider |
2.9. | Encourage fair shares in childcare | Accepted in part |
3. | CARING (FOR OLDER PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES) AND PERSONAL ASSISTANCE |
3.1. | Increasing support for carers | Accepted |
3.2. | Encouragement of employer support for caring responsibilities | Accepted in part
(but primarily a reserved matter) |
3.3. | Liaison with UK Government | Consider |
3.4. | Properly valuing unpaid carer work | Accepted |
3.5. | Ensure choice in provision and receipt of care or assistance | Accepted in part |
4. | POVERTY AND EXCLUSION |
4.1. | Poverty and social exclusion |
4.1.1. | Report on gender awareness as part of Social Inclusion Work | Accepted in part |
4.1.2. | Provide support for projects that are beneficial to women | Accepted |
4.1.3. | Ensure that women's voices are heard | Accepted |
4.1.4. | Raise awareness about the links between poverty and age | Accepted in part |
4.2 | Difficulties in access to services, including in rural areas |
4.2.1. | Review gender awareness in public services | Accepted |
4.2.2. | Improve the position of women workers in public services | Accepted |
4.2.3. | Using Community Resources | Accepted in part |
4.2.4. | Resource Allocation | Accepted |
5. | VIOLENCE AND SAFETY |
5.1 | Maintain momentum | Accepted |
5.2. | Consider needs of particular groups of women | Accepted |
5.3. | Tackle all hate crimes | Accepted |
6. | INFLUENCE AND DECISION-MAKING |
6.1. | Political representation | For political parties & women's organisations |
6.2. | Reform of the electoral system for local government | Accepted in part |
6.3. | Public bodies | Accepted |
6.4. | The judiciary | Accepted |
6.5. | Business | Consider |
6.6. | Trade unions, voluntary and civic organisations | Accepted |
6.7. | Scottish Executive support for consultation with women | Accepted |
B. | POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND POLICY APPROACHES |
7. | THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT |
7.1. | Parliament |
7.1.1. | Debate on the Group's report | For the Parliament |
7.1.2. | Creation of a mechanism to monitor the mainstreaming of gender issues in all committee business | For the Parliament |
7.2. | Equal Opportunities Committee |
7.2.1. | Give a higher profile to the issues of women's inequality and seek to engage with the relevant women's organisations | For the Committee |
7.2.2. | Take this report into account in drawing up its next workplan, including its work to mainstream equalities into the work of all of the other committees in the Parliament | For the Committee |
8. | THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE |
8.1. | Mainstreaming equality |
8.1.1 | Consider the impact on men and women and different groups of men and women from the outset in all new policy development and draft legislation | Accepted |
8.1.2. | Annual reporting on progress on mainstreaming, identification of 'champions' to promote mainstreaming, including information on mainstreaming on the Scottish Executive website by the end of 2003, and developing mechanisms for measuring success by the end of 2004 | Accepted |
8.2. | Monitoring, research and evaluation |
8.2.1. | Development of a body of in-depth empirical research in Scotland and development of systems of evaluation that provide assessments of gender impacts of policies | Accepted in part |
8.2.2. | (a) Monitoring and evaluation of all new projects
(b) Standardisation of data collection
(c) Better integration of gender analysis of data and research into policies and more effective dissemination strategies for gender research | (a)Consider
(b)Accepted
(c)Accepted |
8.2.3. | Think through what their role should be in taking forward the recommendations listed in this report, and whether/what research would be required to facilitate them to do so (including 8.2.4.-8.2.14 below) | Accepted in part |
8.2.4. | Regular reporting on all objectives listed in report, and putting in place research and evaluation programmes | Accepted in part |
8.2.5. | Review evidence of gender pay gap | Accepted |
8.2.6. | Assess impact of pay reviews | Consider |
8.2.7. | Collect data on position of women in decision-making in business | Accepted |
8.2.8. | Promote research on the business case on for diversity and flexible working | Consider |
8.2.9. | Calculate value of unpaid care | Consider |
8.2.10. | Provide better data on demand for and usage of childcare | Accepted |
8.2.11. | Evaluate gender impacts of social inclusion policies | Accepted in part |
8.2.12. | Review gender awareness of public service delivery | Consider |
8.2.13. | Assess how work on domestic violence meets needs of specific groups | Accepted |
8.2.14. | Promote research on women and decision-making | Consider |
8.3. | Statutory duty requiring public bodies to promote gender equality |
8.3.1. | Assess the impact of statutory duties in promoting gender equality and consider how this policy approach may be applied in Scotland as part of an overall mainstreaming strategy | Primarily a reserved matter |
8.3.2. | Report on the impact of the relevant equality clauses of legislation passed in the first session of the Scottish Parliament. If it is being found to be effective, an equality clause should be included in all Scottish Executive legislation | Consider |
8.4. | Awareness raising and campaigning about gender equality issues |
8.4.1. | Raise the profile of women's inequality and the issues facing women through a campaign, such as those run on domestic abuse and anti-racism | Consider |
8.5. | Consultation with women |
8.5.1. | Proper resourcing for and access to and engagement with the relevant people in the Executive, Parliament and other decision-making organisations for the new Women's Convention. The Women's Convention should be invited to consider this report | Accepted |
8.5.2. | Local events and consultations involving the Executive, Parliament and women's organisations | Accepted |
8.5.3. | The Minister for Communities should enter into dialogue as soon as possible with the different women's interests and organisations working with other groups of which women are potentially members and explore in more detail the issues arising from multiple identity and/or compound discrimination | Accepted |
8.6. | Relations between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government |
8.6.1. | More proactive role in promoting UK policies in the Scottish context and better collaborative working between the Scottish Executive and UK Government Departments | Accepted in part |
8.6.2. | Ensuring that the views of women in Scotland are reflected at a UK and European level through the appropriate government machinery, and should consult with the Equal Opportunities Committee as part of this process | Consider |
8.6.3. | Better information on gender issues on the Scottish Executive website | Accepted |
8.6.4. | Ensure that as much authority as possible is devolved within the structure of a new Single Equality Body | Accepted |