Women’s summit tackles barriers

Partnership working is needed to tackle the barriers too many woman still face in being appointed to serve on public boards, said Equalities Minister Shona Robison at the Scottish Government’s summit ‘Women On Board: Quality through Diversity’.

Ms Robison said:

“Today’s summit supported a wide-ranging discussion, which covered both Board chairs and women’s personal experience. To make real progress everyone involved in these process needs to work together and engage, building on existing networks, peer support and mentoring.

“There were useful discussions on how to make the application process simpler and more accessible, and how Boards can adopt more flexible and family-friendly practices. I want to help foster the partnerships that help shift culture, promote positive attitudinal change, and articulate the benefits of diversity on boards.”

“There has been some progress in recent years, and women now account for more than 35% of all board members on public boards. But we need to go further and I want to see at least 40% of public board positions being represented by women.”

A key aim of the summit was to establish a high level Programme Board which will drive forward and bring together key strands of work. This programme board will focus on simplifying the process and shifting the attitudes towards women in decision-making.

This includes working with the Institute of Directors on board shadowing to increase the opportunities for women, working with the Commissioner on streamlining the appointments process and making it more accessible, and providing further guidance on board diversity for members of public boards.

Contact our Employment Lawyers in Glasgow

If you would like to find out more about our specialist employment law services, including advice on discrimination at work, call us today on 0141 811 0224 or fill out our online enquiry form.