Occupational Segregation & Equal Pay

For a number of years, public bodies have known that occupational segregation is a significant factor in the size of the Gender Pay Gap in the public sector.

Close the Gap, a voluntary sector organisation which works in Scotland on women’s participation in the labour market, submitted a briefing paper to the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee inquiry into the gender pay gap which was held in 2017. In this briefing, Close the Gap said on the causes of the pay gap:

The causes of the pay gap are well-rehearsed, and include a range of societal and economic factors which inter-relate in complex ways. Gender norms and stereotypes based on assumptions about girls’ and boys’, and women’s and men’s capabilities, skills and interests results in gender segregation in subject choice and then patterns of occupational segregation. Women are concentrated in female-dominated, low-paid, undervalued jobs such as admin, care and retail, while men are more likely to work in higher paid, technical roles. Women remain disproportionately responsible for care for children, sick people, older people and disabled people, and a lack quality part-time and other types of flexible working to enable them to balance work with family life means that many women are working below their skill level.

The Close the Gap briefing addressed the issue of whether devolved public sector bodies (including the Scottish Government, National Health Service, and local authorities) offered examples of good practice:

Under the public sector equality duty, listed public authorities are required to report on their gender pay gap and activity to mainstreaming gender equality; publish an equal pay statement including occupational segregation information; publish and report progress on equality outcomes; and publish gender-disaggregated employee data. Research by Close the Gap has shown that the performance of public sector employers has been poor, with two-thirds of employers assessed as having a lower overall score in 2015 than in 2013. This represents a significant backwards step from performance under the predecessor Gender Equality Duty. While the research did identify elements of positive practice across Scotland’s public sector, this was not reflective of overall organisational performance. Where good practice was identified at the organisational level, it was also accompanied by elements of poor practice.

Research by Equality Here, Now in July 2022 found that the bulk of non-departmental public bodies reporting to Scottish government have failed to understand EHRC guidance on Gender Pay Gaps and occupational segregation, and that both governance arrangements in place for each body and ministerial oversight have also failed to ensure that key elements of a legal equality duty have been fully and properly met. The only other option is that the bulk of non-departmental public bodies have simply ignored the EHRC guidance and that the governance arrangements and ministerial oversight have likewise failed to ensure that key elements of a legal equality duty have been properly met.