The Equality Act 2006 created a “general duty” on public authorities to:
- Eliminate unlawful sex discrimination and harassment, and
- Promote equality of opportunity between men and women.
The gender equality duty came into force on April 6, 2007.
The UK Government’s Equality Act 2010 replaced previous equality legislation. The gender equality duty was replaced with a new single equality dutycovering age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. This new duty came into force in April 2011.
Division of Labor by Gender. Women are beginning to outstrip men as a percentage of total employees. Scottish machismo, bolstered by laborism, Calvinism, militarism, and soccer is adjusting to a
world where the association of women with domesticity and reproduction and men with public life and paid employment are weakening. However, life chances are far from equal. Men far outnumber women in elected political offices, the legal profession, and managerial and administrative positions in business. Women earn 72 percent of what men earn on average, and are concentrated in certain economic sectors (shops, hotels, financial and business services, education, health, and social work) and the voluntary sector. Subject choices by sex in education suggest that gendered work expectations endure, with construction, engineering, manufacture and production, and transport being over-whelmingly male and personal care, office and secretarial, and social work overwhelmingly female.
The Relative Status of Women and Men. Men and women are notionally equal, but there is still room for reform. The feminist movement has opposed sex discrimination, fought to ensure greater participation by women in the new parliament, and had some success heightening awareness about violence against women. Still, many young men and women consider it acceptable to hit a woman or force her to have sex in certain circumstances. Women, especially as single parents and pensioners, are more vulnerable to poverty than men are, and the vast majority of single parents with dependent children are women.
Source:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/18500/20506
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