Gender

1. Gender 40 years after the Equal Pay Act. Are there equal opportunities?

2. The Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act incorporates all previous Equalities legislation. Rights and Responsibilities have either: Stayed the same. Direct discrimination still occurs when "someone is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic". Changed – for example, employees will now be able to complain of harassment even if it is not directed at them, if they can demonstrate that it creates an offensive environment for them. Been extended. associative discrimination (direct discrimination against someone because they associate with another person who possesses a protected characteristic) will cover age, disability, gender reassignment and sex as well as race, religion and belief and sexual orientation. Be introduced for the first time. The legislation will enable employers to favour under-represented groups during the recruitment process – provided the candidates are of equal suitability – to increase the diversity of their workforces. This is comparable to the affirmative action programmes of the USA.

3. The Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips, chair of EHRC The EHRC is trying to take a more “holistic” approach to issues of inequality involving gender, race, age, disability and sexual orientation. It feels the old “single issue” equal opportunities approach meant some disadvantaged groups could improve better than others, perhaps even pitted discriminated groups against one another. The EHRC hopes to “mainstream” equalities law in organisations across the range of discriminations.

4. Has the 2010 Equality Act gone too far? Is the new, tougher, legislation necessary to overcome inequalities or has “political correctness gone too far”? The Equality Bill

5. The Pay Gap “At the current rate, it will take at least another two decades to close the pay gap. Women who work full time will earn on average £330,000 less than a man over their working lives – that’s the price of a family home. It’s amazing that we still think this is something that a decent society can live with” Trevor Phillips, Chair of Equality and Human Rights Commission

6. The Glass Ceiling “ Girls and young women are outperforming males at all educational levels. They are moving into an expanding range of occupations, and building successful careers. The gender pay gap is narrowing. But for many this all comes to an abrupt halt when childcare comes into the working week. Mary Gregory, Oxford University One of the reasons for gender inequality is the glass ceiling. A study in 2008 by the Royal economic Society found that professional and managerial women who became mothers moved down the job ladder after returning from having a child. 2/3 took clerical or lower skilled jobs.

7. Sexism and the City: Fawcett’s campaign Straight jacketed: women are disadvantaged by outdated job structures and attitudes. Excluded from power: only 11% of FTSE 100 company directors are women. X chromosome discrimination: every year 30,000 women lose their jobs because they are pregnant. Impoverishment: two-thirds of low paid workers are women. Sexual exploitation: Visiting lap dance clubs has become an increasing way of entertaining business clients. Money gap: Women working full-time earn 17% less than men.

8. Gender Stereotyping Some claim that there is a “pink collar” ghetto of low paid occupations revolving around the caring professions. Women are stereotyped as carers and men as “breadwinners”. Those who break these stereotypes, be it men who take caring responsibilities for children or women in traditionally “male” jobs, often encounter social isolation or sexist “banter”.

9. Work of “equal value” It is not just women in professional jobs who face inequalities. Women are overwhelmingly concentrated in low paid jobs. Under the Equalities Act, a claim for equal pay may be made by either a woman or a man claiming equal pay with one or more “comparators” of the other sex. Scottish local authorities have paid out millions to settle claims with female employees who have carried out work of equal value as men, but did not receive equal pay.

10. Breaking the glass ceiling: Law Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, QC FRSA, She is a barrister, broadcaster and Labour member of the House of Lords. Morag McLaughlin is head of the Procurator Fiscal service for Lothian and Borders. Elish Angiolini is the Lord Advocate, Scotland top law officer.

11. Breaking the glass ceiling: Business “It’s easy to let life’s obstacles stand in the way of your success, instead of seeing every experience as something to learn from.” Michelle Mone Co-owner MJM International Michelle Mone: Successful Businesswoman

12. Breaking the glass ceiling: The Police “I’ve been involved in policing since the age of 16 and I have done a variety of jobs in different roles. At no time have I felt I have been subject to any direct or indirect sexism.” Norma Graham, Chief Constable, Fife Constabulary

13. Breaking the glass ceiling: Transport “I took on this role because I am driven to succeed. I am my own worst critic and have always worked in a male-dominated environment so I don't know any different.” Mary Grant, Former Managing Director, First Scotrail

14. Breaking the glass ceiling: Politics But Caroline Flint resigned from the UK Cabinet claiming Gordon Brown used female members as “window dressing”. Nicola Sturgeon and Fiona Hyslop are in the Scottish Cabinet. Annabel Goldie leads the Scottish Conservatives. Caroline Flint accuses the Prime Minister

15. A Representative Parliament? Louise Bagshawe, Conservative, Corby Pamela Nash, Labour, Airdrie and Shotts. Just 21.5% of MPs are female. The number of Labour women has fallen from 94 to below 80 – about 30% of Labour MPs. The number of Conservative women has risen from 18 to about 48 – about 16% of  Conservative MPs. The number of Liberal Democrat women has fallen from 9 to 7 – about 13% of Liberal Democrat MPs. The number of SNP MPs stayed the same, 1, 16.7%.