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Chapter 3: Policy Responses to Occupational Segregation

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Occupational segregation was identified as a core theme in the Scottish Executive's Gender Equality Scheme ( GES), published in April 2007 (Scottish Executive 2007a ¹³):

Tackling occupational segregation is seen as an integral part in not only closing the gender pay gap for women but also challenging gender stereotypes and social attitudes about the role of women and men. Removing occupational segregation is seen as important in the fight against poverty and low pay (p.21) .

3.1.2 The GES recognises divisions between women and men in the labour force, with women and men working in different sectors (horizontal segregation) and at different levels within organisations (vertical segregation). Women make up the majority of the workforce in the public sector (67%) and are far more likely than men to work part-time. Removing occupational segregation is important to addressing poverty and low pay as this affects many working age women.

3.2 Occupational Segregation Working Group

3.2.1 The Occupational Segregation Working Group has played an important role in bringing a number of policy teams together to explore the causes of, and to identify where changes could be made to reduce, occupational segregation. The Group was set up with a clear recognition that gender stereotypes shape people's views and experiences throughout their lives, from early years through to learning and employment. Membership of the group included those with responsibility for policies on early years, schools, further and higher education, skills and employment.

3.2.2 Central to the work of the group was to ensure that strategic policy activities to address occupational segregation were being taken forward within policy teams. In this final chapter, attention turns to the recent and forthcoming measures to progress this agenda. It is clear that there are no 'quick fixes' that can eradicate occupational segregation and its associated problems overnight. As the GES recognises: "[m]any of the reasons for occupational segregation are entrenched in the gendered structures of our society and will take many years to challenge effectively" (p.25). Nonetheless, the programme of activities discussed here offers important steps on the road to tacking this important policy issue as it impacts on the lives of both women and men.

3.3 Early Years and Childcare Workforce

3.3.1 Historically, there has been a public perception that early years' and childcare work is low paid, women's work. Although women make up 98% of the workforce, they require a variety of highly developed skills. Their valuable contribution to the development of Scotland's children was recognised in 2004 when the Scottish Executive led the National Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce. The remit of the Review was to improve employment opportunities for early years' and childcare staff and raise the status of the sector.

3.3.2 A central concern to this Review was to identify and capture the unique contribution of early years' and childcare service providers. This information would facilitate the growth of a new profession, to work alongside established professions, such as teaching and social work. With this new professional identity would come opportunities for career enhancement, demanding high levels of qualification and offering increased earning potential for employees.

3.3.3 Developing the current workforce and employment opportunities in the sector was seen as a crucial step towards ensuring the eradication of occupational segregation. It was also recognised that there needed to be a proactive approach to attracting under-represented groups into the profession, as the consultation (Scottish Executive 2006b) that formed an important part of the Scottish Executive's response to the Workforce Review noted:

We need to develop pathways to attract new people into the workforce, for example those returning to work or changing careers. Importantly, we need to attract underrepresented groups such as men, older people and people from minority ethnic groups. (p.21)

3.3.4 The partnership between local and national government was crucial at this early stage. Alongside the national drive to raise the status of the workforce, came a number of local activities designed to attract men and other under-represented groups into the workforce. This localised approach has been successful in training and equipping hundreds of men throughout Scotland to take on childcare jobs in a variety of settings.

In 2006, the Scottish Executive published its response to the National Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce: Investing in Children's Future (Scottish Executive 2006d). This document highlighted a series of actions designed to raise the status of the early years' and childcare sector. The report focussed on the need to support and develop this emerging new profession by introducing new qualification requirements for leaders in the sector. There was also a need to support the learning and development of all staff, no matter where they were in an organisation. The two main actions can be summarised as:

* Improving leadership: introduce degree level ( SCQF 9) award in 'Childhood Practice' for lead practitioners/managers

* Creating a genuine career structure where career progression and development is supported by a qualifications and professional development framework (continuous learning framework)

Although the Workforce Review did not look directly at issues around pay, by professionalising the sector through increased qualification levels and increased employment choice, the earning potential of the workforce was thought to be increased.

Local activities continue to attract men into childcare training and employment. The Men in Childcare project has trained hundreds of men throughout Scotland. Local Authority Childcare Partnerships also have their own strategies to attract under-represented groups into childcare.

Children in Scotland will assist Scottish Government to take forward activities to tackle gender stereotyping and occupational segregation by actively engaging with female-dominated professions and public sector employers. Given that children and young people are core client groups, the intention is that Children in Scotland should encourage employers to examine their employment policies and practices and address any barriers that may contribute to gender imbalances. This should assist in developing responsive policies, practices and services that aid the development of a healthier work-life balance for women and for men.

3.4 Early Education and Childcare Provision

3.4.1 In Shaping a Fairer Future (Women & Work Commission 2006) each of the four countries in the UK were to: "Draw up national guidance for teachers and early years childcare workers on how to ensure that the horizons of children in the 3 to 5 age group are not limited by stereotypes of what girls and boys can do" (p.9).

The Scottish Executive response (Scottish Executive 2006c) outlined a range of activities that have been progressed to deliver this priority. Of particular note was A Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5, which included guidance on the importance of ensuring that boys and girls have opportunities to participate equally in the full range of learning experiences, and that particular activities did not become associated with boys or with girls. The aim through this agenda was that practice in pre-schools should avoid gender stereotyping and give children the opportunity to participate equally in the full range of learning experiences.

The agenda has now moved on and, building on this activity, Curriculum for Excellence seeks to establish the values, purposes and principles of education in Scotland for all young people between the ages of 3 and 18 with the focus on prioritising and simplifying existing curricular guidance, focusing the curriculum on essential learning experiences. Curriculum for Excellence is presented as a curriculum for all, with the emphasis on enabling all pupils to achieve their full potential, whatever their gender, background, interests and abilities.

The Careers Scotland Career Box is a resource delivered in schools by teachers. It is the first national resource that teachers can use with children and young people between the ages of 3 and 18 years. Contained within a series of CDROMs, the resource involves interactive games, quizzes, multiple choice worksheets and lessons, which include activities that specifically aim to question and explore gender stereotypes. The Career Box is therefore a useful tool for teachers working within pre-school settings to get young children thinking about - and questioning - gendered assumptions around the jobs that women and men commonly do.

The Care Commission and HMIE, as regulatory bodies in this area, play an important role in inspecting services and providing information on the effectiveness of policy interventions in relation to ensuring compliance with a number of equalities commitments. Scottish Government will hold discussions with these agencies to explore ways of capturing data on the effectiveness of staff in helping children to challenge gender stereotyping.

3.5 Qualifications, Assessment and Skills

3.5.1 Curriculum for Excellence aims to equip all pupils with the skills, knowledge and experiences they need to realise their potential, fulfil their ambitions and succeed in later life. It is a programme that seeks to establish the values, purposes and principles of education in Scotland for all young people between the ages of 3 and 18. The four principles that underpin the development of the new curriculum in Scotland emphasise:

• Successful learners
• Confident individuals
• Responsible citizens
• Effective contributors

Building the Curriculum 3, published in June 2008, provides further details on the new framework for learning and teaching in Scotland (Scottish Government 2008a). (This will replace existing curriculum guidance, including A Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5.) Two important issues are highlighted as important to addressing occupational segregation within the educational setting.

• First, there is an explicit recognition in Building the Curriculum 3 of the need to tackle stereotyping in its many forms: "All children and young people should have frequent and regular opportunities to discuss their learning with an adult who knows them well and can act as a mentor, helping them to set appropriate goals for the next stages in learning. This provides opportunities to challenge young people's choices, which may be based on stereotypes" (p.17).
• Second, Scottish Government is committed to developing guidance setting out in greater detail how all young people will build 'skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work' through the curriculum, including opportunities for placing learning within a practical context. Gender stereotyping is a challenge when delivering more practical or applied learning; the importance of challenging attitudes will be reflected in the guidance document.

3.5.2 As well as developments within the curriculum, there are also activities taking place to address skills and vocational learning needs within the educational setting. Skills for Scotland (Scottish Government 2007b), Scotland's skills strategy, aims to ensure that the activities taken forward "will promote equal access to and participation in, skills and learning for everyone… including those from groups such as race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age and religion/faith and educational starting points" (p.44).

Two actions were cited in Skills for Scotland as necessary to engender change:

• Undertake research on changing attitudes to vocational learning; and
• Challenge those providing advice to young people: Careers Scotland; teachers; and parents and carers, to consider the whole range of options available to young people in guiding their choices (Scottish Government 2007b; 18).

Since the document was published, Scottish Government has commissioned a literature review to draw together the current evidence on attitudes to vocational learning. A key element of this research review is to explore the relevance of gender and socio-economic factors affecting attitudes to vocational learning.

Ensuring that children and young people are provided with the full range of options when making choices is taken forward through a number of initiatives, including activities undertaken within the Career Box and the developments taking place within Curriculum for Excellence.

Close the Gap will investigate with CPD Find the possibilities for developing and offering online materials for teachers to challenge occupational segregation in schools.

3.5.3 Recent curriculum guidance (Scottish Government 2008a) makes it clear that all children and young people will be entitled to build skills they will use throughout their work - including pre-vocational, enterprising and employability skills as well as an opportunity to put learning into a practical context. These 'skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work' will be embedded across all areas of the curriculum.

The guidance states that children and young people should have opportunities to:

• build knowledge and understanding of the workplace, what employers may expect of them and what they should expect from employment;
• experience enterprising activities and an enterprising culture; and
• have access to more specific opportunities for learning through Skills for Work courses or other vocationally relevant qualifications.

This is intended to enable them to develop the skills, confidence and abilities to become the employees, employers and entrepreneurs of the future. The view is that all young people can benefit from such learning and this should be reflected in the planning of the curriculum. This planning should involve all partners and ensure that these activities are not bolted on, but rather are part of a coherent learning framework.

3.5.4 The Skills for Work qualifications are available to young people of all abilities in S3 and above. These qualifications intend to deliver knowledge and skills important for employment and for life in general; and provide a variety of practical experiences linked to particular careers. They are intended to provide pathways to employment, training or further education. These qualifications include an understanding of the workplace, employability skills and positive attitudes to learning.

3.5.5 Skills for Work qualifications were piloted from 2005 for two years, with thirteen qualifications made available to schools and colleges across Scotland from Autumn 2007. A further six Skills for Work qualifications were launched in Spring 2008 and will be available to schools and colleges for the start of the Autumn term 2008. The Scottish Qualifications Authority, in consultation with key stakeholders including the Sector Skills Councils, will continue to develop the portfolio of Skills for Work qualifications.

3.5.6 To raise awareness of Skills for Work qualifications , a DVD has been produced and sent in 2007 to schools and other educational partners across Scotland e.g. Directors of Education, College Principals ( FE) and Head Teachers at independent schools.

Within both Determined to Succeed and Skills for Work efforts have been made to highlight non-traditional images of girls and boys, women and men, in employment. For example, the Determined to Succeed website and the Skills for WorkDVD both have representations of females doing jobs traditionally associated with males. This sort of activity should be encouraged and rolled out through further promotional activity. This offers one of several ways of challenging gender stereotypes about the suitability of specific jobs for girls/women and boys/men. To build on the current positive activities taking place, representations of boys/men doing jobs traditionally associated with girls/women are also required.

3.6 Teaching Workforce

3.6.1 Two policy priorities were developed by the Scottish Executive: increasing teaching numbers and reducing class sizes in both primary and secondary schools. The Scottish Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes in Primary 1 to 3 to a maximum of 18 pupils. The concordat with local government provides funding to maintain teacher numbers at a time of falling rolls, so providing the headroom to reduce class sizes in accordance with the commitment. Regulations introduced in 2005 also mean that local authorities should ensure that teaching staff have the appropriate professional skills and knowledge for the posts to which they are being appointed.

To address gender inequalities across the teaching workforce, Scottish Government intends to develop a marketing campaign to attract men into primary school teaching.

3.6.2 Since 1998, classroom assistants have worked in primary, secondary and special schools. Supporting both teachers and pupils, classroom assistants play a vital role in the classroom setting including:

• Contributing to the effective organisation and use of resources.
• Contributing to the quality of care and welfare of pupils.
• Supporting the needs of pupils in effectively accessing the curriculum.
• Supporting the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom.

3.6.3 The EOC's Scottish-focused General Formal Investigation of classroom assistants set out a number of actions that are required to address the pay and conditions affecting these workers (see Equal Opportunities Commission 2007a). The Classroom Implementation Guidance (published in 1999) sets out the duties and responsibilities associated with the work of classroom assistants, although precise job descriptions are a matter for individual local authorities. Terms and conditions of service are a matter for the Scottish Joint Council, while individual local authorities must ensure through Single Status agreements that any equal pay issues have been appropriately addressed.

Scottish Government currently participates in the EHRC-led group to consider and take forward the recommendations of the EOC report on Classroom Assistants. It is likely that future action to deliver some of the EOC recommendations in terms and conditions of service will be taken forward through the Scottish Joint Council.

3.7 Further Education

3.7.1 The stakeholder-led Review of Scotland's Colleges (Scottish Executive 2007d) took the closest ever look at the college sector since colleges' incorporation in 1993. The Review group examined issues relating to the three elements identified as important to successful learning: learners; staff; and the locations where learning occurs. The Review considered how to support successful and accountable governance. It also looked ahead to explore colleges' strategic future. Promoting Excellence (Scottish Government 2007c) provided a response from Scottish Government to the Review's work.

3.7.2 Equalities was an integral issue explored through all work-streams of the Core Group. The Core Group considered integration of equalities across all streams of work the right way to proceed as it reflects the delivery practices of colleges. Now that the review is complete, the Core Group continues to meet with a refreshed membership. Its job is to take forward the actions identified in the Review, monitoring progress and evaluating the effectiveness of the Review outcomes as they impact on the six equality strands: race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age and religion/belief.

3.7.3 The Equalities Issues Report (Scottish Executive 2007c) specifically recognises the gender differences in subject choices by female and male students at colleges:

We appreciate that the gendered uptake of courses has been a long-running issue. One way to promote greater gender balance within subjects is to work with school pupils via taster courses or Skills for Work courses. In the meantime, it is worth noting that the SQA are currently reviewing their course arrangements to ensure that they don't contain gender bias and that they are also considering how to promote gender equality more directly; for instance, through the use of publicity material. However, we believe that more needs to be done to resolve the gender imbalance within subjects. (p.25)

3.7.4 The colleges' review recommended that activity should be taken forward to address the gender divide in subject choices taken by women and men in Scotland's colleges:

We recommend that colleges, the Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA) and policy makers should continue to investigate ways in which the gender imbalance within college courses can be resolved. We expect that this will involve [members of] the Executive's cross-departmental working group (see Chapter 1, para 1.3) engaging with colleges to review current good practice activity. (p.2)

Given the strategic remit of the OSWG, the Group's work did not involve investigating the practices taking place within service delivery agencies. Scottish Funding Council ( SFC) is, however, intending to commission research to explore gender equality in Scotland's colleges, including occupational segregation. The intention is that this research will assist the sector to understand better, and identify and address any current barriers to participation in non-traditional subject choices. Further, SFC will undertake regular gender analysis of statistics on staff and students to track progress in promoting equalities in the college and university sectors in Scotland.

This activity should be accompanied by wider-reaching activities that explore, share and adopt best practice across the college sector. One element of this would be for colleges to ensure that they consistently promote non-traditional subject options to students through: ensuring that marketing materials positively promote opportunities for students to consider non-traditional subject choices, and that case study conduits - such as the Equality Forward Scotland equality forums and the SFEU Equality Diversity Inclusion website - tackle this issue.

Another route through which good practice is to be shared and extended is through local and national networking activities, including the activities of the Close the Gap and Redress the Balance projects and initiatives.

3.8 Higher Education

3.8.1 A three-phased review of higher education was undertaken between 2002 and 2004 to explore and map out the future of higher education in Scotland. The review focused on three key areas: teaching and learning; research and knowledge transfer; and governance and management. One of the key national priorities that framed this review was a strong desire that the higher education sector play a full part in promoting lifelong learning in Scotland, thereby ensuring growth of opportunities for learners to move through education from one level or course to another. While this review did not explicitly consider equalities' issues, nor make any specific recommendations to address gender inequality in the higher education sector, there has in recent years been clear recognition of the gender inequalities within the higher education sector. For example, the publication: Higher Education in Scotland: a baseline report (Scottish Funding Council 2004) highlighted a recent rise in female participation within higher education, with women 57% of the HE student population in 2001.

3.8.2 Awareness of this trend led to a research study to explore gender issues in higher education. Gender in Scottish Higher Education: what's the issue? (Scottish Funding Council 2006) found that education is not the only determinant of life chances. Even with women having higher levels of educational attainment, and with allowances made for different patterns in subject choice and higher education qualifications, men continue to earn more than women after higher education. There are therefore issues that remain to be addressed in relation to tackling the gender inequalities in rewards from educational participation.

While aware that gender inequalities in higher education require more than taking action within the higher education sector, Scottish Funding Council (2006) recognise that more could be done by universities, colleges and employers to promote non-traditional subject choices among men and women to address gender stereotypes and occupational segregation. Policy-makers and practitioners recognise that gender issues are not merely about getting more boys engaged with education any more than it is merely about increasing the number of women working in physical sciences and engineering.

While higher education institutions are autonomous and responsible for their own admissions policy, the Scottish Funding Council recognise that they can play an important role in influencing wider behaviours. The SFC is keen to develop this through its Equality Scheme Action Plan and will consider the issue of gender within its teaching funding review. The SFC seeks to achieve continuous improvement in terms of wider diversity issues through its Learning for All initiative. The Scottish Funding Council also fund Equality Forward which promotes the achievement of equality and fairness in all aspects of learning and life in colleges and universities in Scotland.

The main responsibility for tackling the current inequalities in retention and progression to advanced study lie with individual HEIs. However, the Scottish Funding Council is already taking action to assist them in addressing this.

3.9 Employability and Skills

3.9.1 Promoting employability and skills development among Scotland's working age population has been a central policy concern in recent years. The Employability Strategy: Workforce Plus (Scottish Executive 2006f) highlighted the following priorities:

We believe that, for most people and their families, work is the surest way out of poverty. It increases independence from government, encourages self reliance and builds confidence. That is why the first of our 'Closing the Opportunity Gap' ¹⁴objectives is to increase the chances of sustained employment for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups - in order to lift them permanently out of poverty. (p.3)

3.9.2 The strategy to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or in training ( NEET Strategy), More Choices, More Chances, was published to coincide with the Employability Strategy (Scottish Executive 2006g). Both strategies were recognised as having similar concerns, focusing centrally on ensuring that entering the labour market was a realistic option even for those further away from achieving it. The additionality of the More Choices, More Chances work was that it was concerned to offer a more preventative agenda, focusing solely on young people, to ensure that engagement of young people both during and after compulsory schooling led to positive outcomes within education, training and employment.

3.9.3 Training programmes: Get Ready for Work; Modern Apprenticeships; Skillseekers; and Training for Work are all delivered through Skills Development Scotland. Each plays an important role in developing skills for work or offering training while in work.

3.9.4 Skills Development Scotland ( SDS) brings together four partner organisations (Careers Scotland, Scottish University for Industry, and the skills element of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to drive forward real, positive and sustained change in skills performance in Scotland. As the SDS website (Skills Development Scotland 2008) states:

With this merger, Scotland now has a dynamic, forward-looking organisation which will deliver comprehensive information, advice and guidance for careers and learning, as well as extensive support for skills' development. Skills Development Scotland will continue to deliver skills, careers and learning support activities both for individuals and employers in Scotland.

3.9.5 The role of SDS (Skills Development Scotland 2007) is to:

• promote the availability of access to and create demand for, relevant, high quality and innovative learning and skills development for the Scottish population;
• advance education and skills development and the promotion of lifelong learning and skills development amongst individuals and businesses;
• provide information, advice and guidance, including guidance relating to career and learning choices, to people of all ages;
• provide support and funding to individuals for learning and skills development;
• advance and provide training programmes to build employability skills and to provide information and support to employers to develop the skills of employees;
• promote and facilitate local lifelong learning opportunities and the local development of skills;
• foster collaborative partnerships in lifelong learning and skills development; and
• promote and deliver equality of access and opportunity in service delivery and the wider lifelong learning landscape.

SDS recognises that a number of policy issues impact on its work, including Curriculum for Excellence, More Choices More Chances, and the public sector equality duties. SDS is a very new organisation, with a business process project currently underway to help the organisation bed in. Scottish Government, in looking to the future services that this new organisation will deliver, expect it to plan for - and make significant contributions on - occupational segregation in relation to its training and careers' work.

As part of the initial activity of SDS, it - along with all Sector Skills Councils ( SSCs) - have been encouraged to consider what the most effective skills-based training intervention is for each industry/sector. Part of the focus of this activity should be to consider the appropriateness of the way that current training initiatives are utilised, as questions remain as to whether the current use of programmes, such as Modern Apprenticeships, may be skewing learning choices for both individuals and employers. This may be exasperating the current gender profile within the Modern Apprenticeship programme. This work will enable a more balanced view to be taken as to the appropriateness of interventions as SDS move towards a more demand-led model.

The Close the Gap partnership, which includes Scottish Government, will continue to take forward activities to tackle gender stereotyping and occupational segregation, which are recognised to be major contributors to the gender pay gap. In Phase 3 of its work (July 2008 to March 2011), it will continue to target the finance industry and the further and higher education sectors, where the pay gap is particularly high and where occupational segregation is a significant contributor. As part of its targeted work with the finance industry, Close the Gap plays an important role in advising a delivery group set up by the Financial Services Implementation Group ( FiSIG), which delivers the Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland on behalf of the Financial Services Advisory Board ( FiSAB). The delivery group has been tasked with reviewing evidence of the gender pay gap within the industry and recommending actions to address the issues

3.10 Employment and Enterprise

3.10.1 The Scottish Government has placed achieving long-term sustainable economic growth in Scotland at the centre of their priorities. As the Government Economic Strategy (Scottish Government 2007a) states:

Sustainable economic growth is the one central Purpose to which all else in government is directed and contributes. Our Strategic Objectives: to make Scotland wealthier and fairer; smarter; healthier; safer and stronger; and greener - are all predicated on our efforts to bring more economic success to our country. (p.v)

3.10.2 There are a range of policies in place in Scotland aimed at helping to increase productivity levels, notably via the skills agenda discussed above. The intention behind much of this work is to encourage innovation, entrepreneurialism and high skill levels, as well as helping to encourage the creation, growth and transformation of businesses.

Much of the responsibility for in-work employment conditions falls to the UK Government, with Scottish Government involved in UK-wide strategic developments in relation to: in-work benefits, tax and flexible working arrangements as well as pay, pensions and a range of other employment issues. The Business Interest and Improving Regulation policy team represents Scotland's interests at the UK level, so playing an important role in ensuring that activities to address in-work employment conditions explicitly take account of the differing positions of women and men in the labour market in Scotland.

At local level, Scottish Government support the Glasgow Works partnership, which aims to increase employment rates in Glasgow. The BME population, with low rates of employment among certain ethnic groups, is a priority group for the partnership. Scottish Government is funding a member of staff within Glasgow Works to implement a recently agreed action plan to increase BME employment in the city. The first priority is to increase employment by currently under-represented BME groups, which includes getting more BME women into employability activity. Scottish Government is aware of occupational segregation within sectors traditionally accessed by specific BME groups, and will work with Glasgow Works to agree actions for inclusion in the plan which consider how to address this.

Women Onto Work is another local initiative funded by Scottish Government. This group will monitor demand from women trainees for work placements in non-traditional occupations, any barriers that are encountered and develop contacts with employers who may be able to offer an increase in work placement opportunities in traditional male occupations.

3.11 Next Steps

3.11.1 There remains a lot of work to be done. The activities highlighted above represent steps on the road to addressing the inequalities affecting women and men in the labour market that involve activities from early years, education, skills and training and employment. There is, however, still a long way to go, with the above activities offering only a partial response to addressing this ingrained social problem. Much more awareness of the impact of gender inequality throughout the lifecycle is required across a wide range of areas: early years, schools, colleges, universities, training provision and employment.

A number of additional activities are therefore required to continue the work of the Occupational Segregation Working Group ( OSWG):

* Scottish Government will carry out work to investigate social attitudes to occupational segregation among the adult population. While there has been a lot of focus on the views of children on the suitability of jobs to women or men, it would be interesting to gain a fuller picture of how adults view particular occupations. Regularly surveying on these questions would allow Scottish Government to track changes in attitudes over time.

* Scottish Government will engage in wider dialogue with public, private and third sector organisations about taking forward future work to tackle gender stereotyping and occupational segregation. An effective network - including stakeholders from within and outside Scottish Government - will progress activities to tackle gender stereotyping and occupational segregation and ensure that the recommendations and actions noted in this report are implemented.

* Scottish Government will carry out work to investigate whether there are any successful initiatives to tackle occupational segregation, including in other countries, which might help inform policy development.

* There is a need to extend the work of the OSWG in its next phase to specifically investigate the data and issues affecting a more diverse group of women, including minority ethnic women, disabled women, older and younger women, lesbian and transgender women and women of different faiths.

3.12 Concluding comments

3.12.1 Drawing together the debates raised by this report and previous strategic interventions to tackle gender inequality, we find a number of themes emerging time and again. These include:

• Promoting positive images of women/girls and men/boys performing non-traditional jobs and social roles throughout the range of policy and practice activities.
• Continuing to offer and building on the current bundle of tools delivered by parents, carers, and education providers that explore and challenge girls' and boys' traditional stereotypes about occupations. For example, building on the good work developed through initiatives such as the Career Box that aim to tackle gender inequality; ensuring that they are delivered by a range of groups, and used by children across the ages.
• Actively encouraging girls and boys into non-traditional careers, through promotion of positive role models and projects that directly work to tackle gender stereotyping e.g. Men into Childcare.
• Encouraging public bodies to consider measures to tackle occupational segregation (both vertical and horizontal) as an important element of taking forward the Gender Equality Duty.
• Scottish Government continuing to provide strategic leadership in working to reduce the negative impact of occupational segregation in relation to differential pay, status and promotion prospects that are associated with specific jobs and the differential impact of this on women and men.
• Ensuring that all policies and initiatives are regularly monitored and evaluated to highlight current practice and assess its potential impact on tackling occupational segregation.

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