Items tagged “mainstreaming”

Public Sector Equality Duty: Equality Stakeholders' Submission on Common Concerns

Organisations in Scotland’s equality sector welcomed the Scottish Government’s intention to reform the Scottish Specific Public Sector Equality Duties. Many have been engaging with the Scottish Government on the Review for several years. Reform has the potential to create meaningful change for people with protected characteristics, and our organisations are therefore keen to ensure the Review process is as effective as possible.

We have serious concerns about the direction of the current consultation on the review of the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland. We are keen to work with the Scottish Government in ensuring that any revised duties are as robust as necessary and will lead to real improvements in the lives of people with protected characteristics.

As such, we call on the Scottish Government to adopt a fully-fledged collaborative process, working with equality stakeholders in drafting the revised regulations.

Date of Publication: April 2022

What Works for Women: improving gender mainstreaming in Scotland

Gender mainstreaming is a strategic approach to tackling systemic gender inequality. It was the central recommendation within the UN’s ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’ in 1995,1 in response to the limitations of policy approaches that are specifically aimed at women. Gender mainstreaming stems from the understanding that gender inequality is socially constructed, and that the sexism inherent to our institutional structures and decision-making must be actively targeted. It aims to ensure that issues around women’s equality are incorporated into the design and delivery of all public sector activity, such that consideration of gender is routinely used to shape policy and practice throughout government and public bodies.

This paper reviews the history of legal mainstreaming duties in Scotland, implementation of its principal mainstreaming policy - the public sector equality duty - and international best practice in gender mainstreaming. It subsequently draws conclusions regarding reform of PSED and recommends new action on mainstreaming by Scottish Government.

Date of publication: November 2020

Engender Submission to the European and External Affairs Committee Call for Evidence on the Implications of the EU Referendum Result

This paper sets out the need for effective gender mainstreaming and the inclusion of women’s voices as the Brexit process moves forward, briefly describes current gender equality law to which EU member states are bound under the terms of their membership and Scotland is therefore set to lose, and sets out the impact that this legislation has had on UK policy, and current EU programmes, policies and funding priorities that promote gender equality. In demonstrating what the EU has done and is doing for women, we highlight areas of concern and the need for action to protect women’s rights as the UK negotiates its exit.

Date of publication: August 2016.