SNP accuse UK Government of ‘paying lip service’ to gender equality

THE SNP have accused the UK government of paying “lip service” to the issue of gender equality, pointing to figures showing “stark” inequalities in Whitehall.

Figures they obtained from the House of Commons Library show women make up about a third, or 68 out of 200, of members of the UK government’s departmental boards – the bodies responsible for providing “strategic leadership” for each government department.

In particular, in the department run by Women’s Minister Nicky Morgan, only two of 12 board members are women, the SNP said.

In contrast, the Scottish Government’s board is 53 per cent female, with Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet being one of only three gender-balanced cabinets in the world, the party said.

The SNP’s spokeswoman on women and equalities at Westminster, Angela Crawley, said: “This is proof that Tory ministers intend to pay no more than lip service to gender equality.

“The minister for women, Nicky Morgan, in particular should be embarrassed that her own department board is almost 83per cent male. The minister must take action and encourage her cabinet colleagues to do likewise.

“This failure to commit to gender balance in public life comes as no surprise as women continue to bear much of the brunt of this government’s ideological commitment to austerity.”

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “The government is committed to supporting women at all stages of their careers. We have a world class civil service which is much more diverse than in the past and more diverse than the majority of British employers but we know there is lots more work to do. We must become more representative of those we serve to truly govern for one nation and open up more opportunities for people from all backgrounds.”

In April, the First Minister set out an SNP pledge to commit to gender equality.

She outlined a plan to support women by increasing free childcare, raising the minimum wage and ending zero-hour contracts

The plan also committed to ending the gender pay gap and supporting the call for a 50-50 gender balance on boards by 2020.

When the First Minister unveiled her first cabinet, the Unlock Democracy campaign group said she had thrown down the gauntlet to other leaders.