A NEW law planned by the Scottish Government will help “shatter the glass ceiling once of for all” by forcing public bodies to have equal numbers of men and women on their boards.
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance made the statement as she launched a consultation on plans to legislate for a 50-50 gender split on public boards. She insisted “real progress” had been made to make ministerial appointments to boards more equal but the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill will be used to make changes in non-executive membership.
Public organisations will also be compelled to encourage applications from either men or women, depending on which gender is under-represented on their board. Constance said the legislation was being brought forward because “despite making up 51 per cent of the population, women continue to be under-represented in public life”.
She launched the consultation at the Falkirk Wheel, operated by Scottish Canals, which has a 50-50 split between men and women on its board and management team.
By signing up to the Scottish Government’s 50-50 by 2020 pledge, 191 public bodies, third-sector organisations and private companies have already pledged to improve gender balance on boards.
Constance said: “In a new year, with new powers, this Bill is a significant step forward in making sure this position changes, and that women are properly represented in senior and decision-making positions across Scotland, helping to shatter the glass ceiling once and for all.
“Real progress has been made over the last parliamentary term to improve the gender balance of ministerial appointments to public boards, but we won’t rest on our laurels. We must ensure that we maintain the progress that has been made and keep moving forward.
“Not only is this a matter of equality and fairness, there is strong evidence to suggest that better-balanced boards perform better too, making best use of all the talents at their fingertips.
“Scottish Canals is an excellent example of a public body with a gender balanced board and I believe this can and should be the norm for all public bodies in Scotland. I’m keen to hear views on this Bill and would encourage people to respond to the proposals it makes.”
Andrew Thin, the chairman of Scottish Canals, said he was delighted to support the launch of the Government’s consultation.
He added: “It is an area we have given significant thought to over the past four years, successfully achieving a 50-50 split of men and women on both our board and management team.
“Scottish Canals benefits greatly from a diverse workforce, from the bank side to the boardroom, and this is vitally important as we seek to do more with these valuable public assets and ensure they deliver maximum value for all of the people of Scotland.”
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