INTRODUCTION
1.1 This is the Scottish Executive's interim response to the UK Women and Work Commission's report Shaping a Fairer Future, which was published in February 2006. It describes the Executive's current action - and explores what more it can do - to improve the prospects and career options of women in the Scottish labour market, and also to influence the career choices of future generations of girls in Scotland and achieve a culture change in workplaces over the longer term.
1.2 The UK Women and Work Commission looked at the causes of the pay and opportunities gap between men and women, taking evidence from a wide range of stakeholders (including a visit to Glasgow) and drawing upon the most recent academic work in the field. The Executive worked to ensure that the Scottish dimension was understood in the Commission's deliberations.
1.3 The Commission found that the problem was multi-faceted and deep-rooted around gender stereotyping and occupational segregation and its recommendations are - necessarily - wide-ranging. But before turning to the actual recommendations (at SECTIONS A-C), it may be useful to set the Women and Work Commission's work into some context, so this report covers the following:
UNDERSTANDING OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION
THE GENDER PAY AND OPPORTUNITY GAP
RELATED SCOTTISH WORK TO DATE
Close the Gap
Strategic Group on Women
EOC Report on Occupational Segregation
EOC Report on the Hidden Brain Drain
EOC Report on Minority Ethnic Women
WOMEN AND WORK COMMISSION REPORT
UK Government Action
Action for Scotland
OTHER RELEVANT DEVELOPMENT - THE GENDER EQUALITY DUTY
THE WAY FORWARD - MECHANISM FOR EXPLORING THE ISSUES/MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
and then……
SECTION A: RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR SCOTTISH RESPONSE
SECTION B: RECOMMENDATIONS ON SOME OF THE OTHER MAIN ISSUES
SECTION C: SUMMARY GRID OF ALL RECOMMENDATIONS