Dear colleagues
A major report reviewing statistical evidence and recent research on
gender equality in Scotland has just been published – ‘A Gender Audit of
Statistics: comparing the position of women and men in Scotland’ by
Esther Breitenbach and Fran Wasoff.
The Gender Audit of Statistics is a key resource to assist public bodies
in producing gender equality schemes, in line with the gender equality
duty which came into force in April, 2007. It provides:
• A review of trends in gender differences and inequalities across key
areas of social and economic life;
• A wide range of statistical tables, with interpretative commentary and
analysis;
• Guidance on how to use the data and on sources of data.
The report shows that there has been progress towards greater gender
equality in Scotland in recent years. The pace of change towards greater
equality remains very slow, and gender inequalities persist in Scottish
society. In the main such inequalities disadvantage women compared to
men, for example, in access to political power and decision-making
positions in public life, and in employment and pay. In general women
are also disadvantaged compared to men in terms of access to resources
such as private cars and housing. More rarely males are disadvantaged
compared to females, for example, in terms of qualifications obtained on
leaving school. Women are overwhelmingly the victims of domestic abuse,
and men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators, and women are much more
likely than men to have concerns about their personal safety.
The audit of gender statistics was commissioned by the Scottish
Executive to provide a review of current gender differences and
inequalities in Scotland relevant to key areas of economic and social
life, and was carried out by Dr Esther Breitenbach and Professor Fran
Wasoff of the University of Edinburgh. The research reviewed a wide
range of gender disaggregated statistics for Scotland, and for some
topic areas data analysis was specially conducted for the review.
Selected recent research was also reviewed. The report contains a wide
range of statistical tables indicating the comparative position of women
and men in Scotland and indicating changes over time, and provides
commentary interpreting these data. The gender audit of statistics adds
to the growing body of work in Scotland providing analyses of
statistical trends on gender and other equality issues, such as
ethnicity and disability, and is the most comprehensive analysis to date
of gender disaggregated statistics for Scotland.
The full report is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/27104103/0
Please note that the full report is over 300 pages, and contains over
300 tables. Copies of the report can be purchased from Blackwell’s
Bookshop, 53 South Bridge, Edinburgh, at Ł5 a copy. Email:
[log in to unmask]
Research Findings, which provide a short summary of the report, are
available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/27104158/0
For further information about the report contact Dr Esther Breitenbach,
University of Edinburgh, at [log in to unmask]
--
Professor Fran Wasoff,
Co-Director, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships and
Professor of Family Policies, Social Policy, School of Social and Political Studies,
University of Edinburgh,
Adam Ferguson Building,
40 George Square,
Edinburgh EH8 9LL
Tel: (44) (0) (131) 650 3922
Fax: (44) (0) (131) 651 1833
|