Women to be given top jobs ahead of men under gender law
WOMEN should be appointed to top public sector jobs ahead of men under controversial new ‘gender balance’ laws published by the Scottish Government yesterday.
Public bodies will have to ensure their boardrooms boast a 50/50 male-female split by 2022 if the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill is approved by parliament.
Colleges, universities, health boards and dozens of quangos including the Scottish Police Authority, Scottish Legal Aid Board, VisitScotland, Crofting Commission and Scottish Water will all be affected by the new rules. The bodies will be legally required to give female candidates ‘preference’ over similarly qualified men and ‘take steps’ to encourage women to apply for nonexecutive positions in a bid to drive up numbers.
The laws will supercede the Equality Act 2010, meaning male candidates will not be able to make a claim for sex discrimination.
The legislation was a personal commitment of Nicola Sturgeon, who introduced gender equality in her Cabinet shortly after being appointed First Minister. But critics have warned it could devalue the successes of women who are given appointments on merit. The proposed legislation builds on the Scottish Government’s ‘50/50 by 2020’ pledge, which nearly 200 organisations have signed up to in a bid to improve gender balance.
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said yesterday: ‘Addressing the under-representation of women on boards is a key priority of this government.
‘A gender-balanced board, that better reflects the employees of an organisation, is not only the right thing to do but also leads to better decision making. We have already
‘We should focus on a level playing field’
seen good progress when organisations voluntarily commit to improving gender balance. This is welcome and shows there is an appetite in Scotland for tackling this issue. The Bill is the next step towards building on this progress.
‘Let me be clear, though, that all candidates for public appointments will continue to be appointed on merit. But by introducing this legal requirement, we will drive change across the public sector.’
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Annie Wells said: ‘Forcing a gender split on boards is tokenistic and only helps a handful of women in political circles. Most women want fairness, not artificial statistics which – in the long run – will just make women feel they are there because of their gender and not because they deserve to be.
‘We should be focusing efforts on ensuring there is a level playing field for women competing for jobs at all levels.’
Lingerie tycoon and Tory peer Michelle Mone has also publicly opposed gender quotas, saying women should be in top positions ‘because they deserve it’.