Blog
Emerging findings from Close the Gap research on disabled women and work
Close the Gap has been conducting a research project on disabled women’s experiences of employment in Scotland. This blog sets out the work that’s been done so far, the emerging findings to date, and the next steps.
Why this research is needed
Disabled women are among the most marginalised in the labour market, but their experiences are rarely considered in policymaking or by employers. There is currently a lack of Scottish-specific data on disabled women’s labour market experiences, which contributes to their invisibility in policymaking. This prevents an intersectional approach being adopted, and means disabled women’s specific needs are not recognised or addressed.
From the evidence that is available, we know that disabled women face a wider gender pay gap than non-disabled women and are more likely to be underemployed or economically inactive. When they are employed, they’re more likely to be in low-paid and precarious work. This contributes to the higher level of poverty they face. However, there are still significant gaps in the evidence base, particularly the jobs and sectors disabled women work in, their access to in-work training and development, and experiences of workplace culture more widely.
Close the Gap’s research aims to gather evidence and data to build a richer picture about disabled women’s working lives, so that the inequalities they face are better understood, and tackled, by policymakers and by employers.
What we’ve done so far
Close the Gap is not a disabled people’s organisation, or an organisation which works directly with disabled people. We recognise that this work is also about building our own understanding of disability, and the intersecting inequalities that disabled women experience in their daily lives. Work so far has included:
Engagement with disabled people’s organisations and disabled women
We did scoping and engagement work with disabled people’s organisations, disability equality experts, and disabled trade unionists so that we better understand the current context for disabled women, including existing priorities around employment. This also allowed us to share information about our work to build trust in the process.
Reviewing existing literature and evidence on disabled women and work
Close the Gap commissioned Branch Social Research to do a literature review on disabled women’s experiences of employment. This exposed the dearth of intersectional data on how disabled women engage with the labour market, especially Scottish-specific data such as pay gaps, part-time working, occupational segregation, educational attainment, access to flexible working, disabled mothers’ experiences, access to training and skills, and how violence against women affects disabled women’s employment.
Exploratory focus groups with disabled women
Close the Gap worked with Zara Todd, disability equality expert, to deliver two exploratory focus groups with disabled women. The design was informed by the literature review findings and aimed to help us refine our focus for the research. Some of the key themes included:
- Inflexible work, poor employer knowledge about disability, discriminatory recruitment practice, caring roles, and social security rules were all identified as barriers to disabled women getting a job.
- Whether or not reasonable adjustments are put in place by an employer is key to positive or negative workplace experiences.
- Being visible in the workplace as a disabled women led to additional work educating others around needs and disability.
- Financial dependency traps women in both unhealthy work environments and low-paid jobs, and in abusive relationships.
- Line managers are central to having a good or bad experience in the workplace.
- Difficulties accessing training makes it harder for disabled women to do their job and progress in the workplace.
- Disabled women felt judged at work, with the vast majority having had their performance questioned formally or informally.
- Experiencing mental and physical harm in the workplace was a common experience.
Building capacity in Close the Gap staff on disability and doing research with disabled people
Our staff team participated in training on disability, and good practice on conducting research with disabled people. The training was invaluable not only to improve our own understanding of disability, but also in informing how we can better integrate the needs of disabled women in our wider work. It also provided important knowledge about how we can ensure that Close the Gap is supportive and accessible as an employer of disabled women and women with long-term health conditions.
Next steps
During the next phase, we’ll be gathering more qualitative data by doing a series of semi-structured interviews, and a number of thematic mini focus groups. We’re really pleased to be working with Zara Todd again, and also doctoral researcher Tasnim Hassan to deliver the interviews and mini focus groups. The interviews aim to paint a picture of how disabled women’s impairments and health conditions have shaped their life, education and employment. We hope to build a richer understanding of women’s experiences and what the systemic barriers mean in reality for women.
One of the themes we’ll be looking at in the mini focus groups is performance management. This has emerged as a key concern with disabled women reporting that their skills and capability are routinely questioned in the workplace, with many having been unfairly performance managed.
We’ll also be exploring the intersection of disability, race and gender so we’ll be delivering a group for Black and brown disabled women to look in more detail at their experiences of the workplace.
Finally, we’re developing a survey which will be launched after the summer. This will allow us to gather quantitative data on a range of key areas including recruitment, access to training and development, how experiences of men’s violence shapes disabled women’s employment, and workplace culture. The survey will be primarily online, and we’ll be trying to reach as many disabled women in Scotland as possible so that we can capture a broad range of views.
We’ll be sharing more information about the research in due course, including our learning from this doing this work.
Meantime, you can read more on our blog about how the pension system compounds inequality for disabled women, and the need for disabled women to be visible in Scottish Government policymaking on employment.
Call for participants: focus groups for disabled women and women with long-term health conditions to share their experiences of employment in Scotland
There’s a significant lack of Scotland-specific data on disabled women’s experiences of engaging with the labour market. These gaps mean that employment policy development and decisions around the labour market frequently ignores the inequalities disabled women face.
Close the Gap has been delivering a research project on the labour market experiences of disabled women. A literature review has been produced, and exploratory focus groups with disabled women held. We’re now holding two further focus groups.
Focus group 1, with racially-minoritised disabled women and those with long-term health conditions
The workplace experiences of racially-minoritised disabled women and women with long-term health conditions is a significantly under-researched area. The discussion will focus on:
- The specific inequalities that racially-minoritised disabled women face due to intersecting inequalities based on race, disability and gender;
- The ways in which their engagement with the labour market, including workplace culture and practice, are shaped by racism, disability discrimination and sexism.
- The solutions to the workplace inequalities they face.
This focus group is for self-identifying racially-minoritised women who are disabled or who have a long-term health condition (including mental health).
This is an in-person focus group, taking place in Glasgow city centre on Saturday 15th June, 12:00-13:30.
Focus group 2, on the theme of performance management in the workplace
Performance management has emerged as a strong theme in our research thus far. Disabled women report that their skills and capabilities at work are routinely questioned, and performance management policies are often used to enable this. The discussion will look in more detail at the use of performance management and how this affects disabled women.
This focus group is for self-identifying women who are disabled or have a long-term health condition (including mental health). It will be held online on Monday 24th of June, 18:30-20:00.
Register for the focus groups
Register here for focus group 1 on racially-minoritised disabled women’s experiences, Saturday 15th June, 12:00-13:30, CitizenM Hotel, 60 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3BW
Register here for the focus group 2 on disabled women’s experiences of performance management, Monday 24th June, 18:30-20:00, online.
Participants will receive a £30 shopping voucher in return for their time. Childcare and transport costs will also be reimbursed, where applicable.
We endeavour to meet all access requirements for participants. Further information on this is available in the registration form.
Equally Safe at Work update: Now open to new employers
We are pleased to announce that Equally Safe at Work is now open to new employers across the public and third sector. Equally Safe at Work is an employer accreditation designed to support the local implementation of the Equally Safe strategy, Scotland’s national strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls. Equally Safe at Work supports employers to advance gender inequality and prevent violence against women.
Over the past five years, we’ve worked with a variety of employers across sectors through Equally Safe at Work, and as a result, 18 employers have received accreditation. The programme has proven to be an effective vehicle for change, and this next phase of Equally Safe at Work presents exciting opportunities for both Close the Gap and new employers.
What’s involved in the next roll out
From this week, employers are invited to complete an expression of interest form to join the next roll out the programme.
New employers can either work towards the development tier or bronze tier, and will have 18 months to complete a variety of criteria across six standards related to women’s labour market equality: leadership, data, flexible working, occupational segregation, workplace culture and violence against women.
To meet the criteria, employers receive support to collect and analyse data, develop initiatives, and review and update policies, practices and resources. Employers also have access to peer learning opportunities through the programme, including the Community of Practice, which was introduced last year.
For more information on what’s involved in the programme, you can read our leaflet, Why be involved. As well, you can read good practice examples from accredited employers.
What’s new in Equally safe at Work
Learning from the evaluation has led to a number of changes to Equally Safe at Work to better reflect the current context in which employers are working in. The refreshed Equally Safe at Work programme includes:
- A single standards framework and criteria, and handbook for all employers. The harmonized criteria takes into account organisations that are different sizes and in different sectors.
- A calendar of events delivered through the Community of Practice, which includes expert speakers on topics such as developing an anti-racist approach to work on gender equality, leadership and gender equality, and sexual harassment and the law. The events also provide opportunities to network and share learning across sectors.
- Availability of the ‘Applying a Gender Lens’ workshop throughout the year for employers going through the programme.
- Flexible intake and completion timelines. Employers can register from the 22nd April and join when their organisation is ready to start the work.
- New guidance on rape and sexual assault for line managers, which will be launched later in the year.
- Tailored support sessions and guidance for employers on developing initiatives to address occupational segregation.
- A new website with helpful resources, case studies and an updated Members’ area.
How to apply
To apply for the programme or for details on how to join the Community of Practice, which is open to all employers including those who aren’t ready to go through accreditation, contact Equally Safe at Work Programme Officer Leonie McConnell at lmcconnell@closethegap.org.uk
Further information on Equally Safe at Work can be found at www.equallysafeatwork.scot
How has the gender pay gap changed: what the statistics tell us
Each year, Close the Gap produces a report on the gender pay gap in Scotland. The purpose of this report is to outline and analyse the key trends in the gender pay gap across various measures to show how it has changed over time. We’re now going to be producing this report on a biennial basis and in between we’ll be bringing you blogs on how pay gap data is changing. This is the first of two blogs that will look at the most recent pay gap data from 2023 and, as always, we set out why it’s important to look beneath the headline figures.
Median and mean gender pay gaps have narrowed, but this hides the extent of gendered labour market inequalities
Recent data from the ONS’s Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) indicates that both the median and mean gender pay gaps have decreased between 2022 and 2023 across all measures. The mean pay gaps have had a slightly larger reduction compared to median pay gaps, where falls have been more varied. As shown in table 1 below, the mean pay gaps have all seen significant decreases by around 4 percentage points, with the combined pay gap now sitting at 6.3%, the full-time gap at 3.5%, and the part-time at 22.1%.
Median pay gap (%)
Mean pay gap (%)
2020
2021
2022
2023
2020
2021
2022
2023
Combined pay gap
10.9
11.5
12.0
8.7
10.4
10.1
10.9
6.3
% change from previous year
-
+0.6
+0.5
-3.3
-
-0.3
+0.8
-4.6
Full-time pay gap
3.0
3.6
3.7
1.7
7.5
6.6
7.9
3.5
% change from previous year
-
+0.6
+0.1
-2.0
-
-0.9
+1.3
-4.4
Part-time pay gap
24.4
32.4
29.2
28.1
29.7
26.9
26.3
22.1
% change from previous year
-
+8.0
-3.2
-1.1
-
-2.8
-0.6
-4.2
Table 1: Combined, full-time and part-time median and mean gender pay gaps, 2020-2023
Reductions in the mean and median part-time pay gaps follow established trends from previous years. However, median and mean combined and full-time pay gaps have broken with trends and have begun to narrow. Given how large the decreases in the mean and median combined and full-time, and mean part-time gender pay gaps, it is important to treat them with some caution.
Scottish Government has highlighted that the full-time median figure of 1.7% means that Scotland’s gender pay gap is its “lowest on record”. However, a focus on the full-time figure excludes the 487,600 women who work part-time, most of whom are in low-paid, undervalued jobs and represent 38.3% of the female workforce. All too often, discourses on the pay gap centre on the need to get more women into senior roles. Equally as important is action to tackle women’s low pay, and the economy-wide undervaluation of ‘women’s work’ such as care, admin, and cleaning. Relying on the headline full-time figure creates an inaccurate picture of the gender pay gap and hides the persistent and pervasive inequalities women face.
Pay gaps are narrowing in most occupational groups
The new data shows a continued trend in the narrowing of the pay gap across most occupational groups. For example, when considering the combined pay gap:
- There has been a significant reduction in the gender pay gap in professional occupations from 11.1% in 2022 to 2.3% in 2023;
- In caring, leisure and other service occupations the gap has decreased from 5% to -2.7%, indicating women have a pay advantage in this occupational grouping;
- In administrative and secretarial occupations the gap has narrowed from 10.1% to 7.5%; and
- There has been a less pronounced narrowing within managers, directors, and senior officials, from 14.5% in 2022 to 13.8% in 2023.
Pay gaps are affected by the composition of men and women within each of these occupational groups. Because more women work in caring, leisure, and other service occupations, pay gaps tend to be much narrower than in managers, directors, and senior officials’ occupations, where women are under-represented and there is a smaller decrease in pay gap figures.
Women's pay is rising faster than men's
The new data shows that the biggest influencer of changes in the pay gap is that women’s average (mean) hourly wages are increasing faster than men’s. Table 2 shows that women’s hourly combined, full-time, and part-time wages have increased almost twice as quickly as men’s between 2022 and 2023, although men continue to have higher average hourly earnings. It is likely that this is a result of recent public sector pay settlements, which were higher than usual following waves of industrial action by trade unions in response to the cost-of-living crisis. Since women make up the majority (66%) of public sector workers, and the majority of trade union members, they have disproportionately benefited from wage increases, and this has led to their pay rising faster than men’s. For example, high-profile strike action over the last year, including the EIS teachers’ strikes throughout 2023 which resulted in a cumulative 14.6% pay increase for teaching staff, have been instrumental in securing pay increases for public sector workers. Without the collective bargaining power and support from trade unions it is unlikely these wage increases would have been secured. This aligns with existing evidence on the pay gap which shows that union membership contributes to higher pay for women. This increase in public sector wages underpins much of the recent narrowing presented in this year’s pay gap data, particularly in the public sector.
Mean (£)
2022
2023
% change
Male (overall)
19.28
20.77
+7.7%
Female (overall)
17.16
19.46
+13.4%
Male full-time
19.70
21.20
+7.6%
Female full-time
18.10
20.45
+13%
Male part-time
14.09
15.02
+6.6%
Female part-time
14.52
16.51
+13.7%
Table 2: mean hourly pay by gender, 2022 and 2023
As shown in table 3, gender pay gaps have narrowed across the public, private, and third sector, with the public sector exhibiting the most substantial reduction between 2022 and 2023. The third sector has also seen a substantial narrowing in its combined and full-time pay gaps. This is also likely to be a driving force behind the overall narrowing of the gender pay gap, as women make up the majority of staff in this sector. Increases in third and private sector pay appears to be partially driven by employer responses to the cost-of-living crisis, such as increases to wages and the introduction of bonuses or allowances to help cover cost increases.
Combined gender pay gap
Full-time gender pay gap
Part-time gender pay gap
2022
2023
2022
2023
2022
2023
Public
12.5%
4.7%
9.5%
1.7%
27.3%
18.5%
Private
15.9%
15.4%
11.5%
12.5%
32.5%
31.7%
Third sector
17.7%
11.5%
17.2%
10.1%
26.1%
24.5%
Table 3: Gender pay gaps in the public, private and third sector
It’s important to note that although women’s pay is rising faster than men’s, on average men are still earning more than women. Women continue to make up the majority of low-paid staff, comprising 60% of workers earning below the real living wage and are more likely to be in insecure work. These issues are particularly acute for racially-minoritised women, disabled women, and single parents (more than 90% of whom are women). It is therefore important to recognise that although headline pay gap statistics may suggest progress, women continue to face stubborn labour market inequalities.
Women do not experience the gender pay gap in the same way
Women are not a homogenous group, and their experiences of the labour market are shaped by their multiple, intersecting identities, which often compound and contribute to the inequalities they face. For example, disabled women and some groups of racially-minoritised women are more likely to be underemployed in terms of skills, and face higher pay gaps. Disabled women, racially-minoritised women, and LBT women are also more likely to experience workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying.
Headline pay gap figures do not fully capture these divergent experiences, and therefore may create a picture of the gender pay gap that does not reflect the lived reality of women who are most marginalised. There is currently a distinct lack of intersectional gender pay gap data available for Scotland. However, UK-level data from the TUC shows a 9.8% gender pay gap for disabled women compared to non-disabled women, a 23% pay gap when compared to non-disabled men, and a 9.9% pay gap when compare to disabled men. This highlights the continued disadvantage disabled women face in the labour market, and their lower earnings.
UK-level data also provides insight into pay gaps for ethnic-minority women. This shows that, when compared to White British women, median hourly pay gaps are widest for Bangladeshi-British women (14.7%), Pakistani-British women (11.7%), and Mixed White and Black Caribbean women (10.6%). It is important to note that some racially-minoritised women have a pay advantage in median hourly pay compared to White British women, including White Irish women (37.7% pay advantage), Chinese-British women (35.1% pay advantage) and Indian-British women (16% pay advantage).
However, disabled women and some racially-minoritised women are on the whole more likely to be in precarious, low-paid work. Considering both the legacy of Covid-19 job disruption and on-going cost-of-living crisis are disproportionately impacting racially-minoritised women and disabled women, the stubbornly wide pay gaps they face are likely to put them under increasing financial pressure, with many pushed into further and deeper poverty.
Looking at combined gender pay gaps by age groups shows a continued trend of this gap narrowing slightly, with the exception of the pay gap for 18–21-yearolds, which has increased by 8.3%. The data highlights that gender pay gaps are widest for women over the age of 40, and narrowest for those in the 22–29-year-old age group. The widening of the gender pay gap after the age of 30 is driven by a range of factors including gender segregation in subject choice and occupational segregation, women’s concentration in low-paid and part-time work, women’s under-representation in senior management, and inflexible working practices that particularly disadvantage women in caring roles. Additionally, the higher-than-average pay gap present for women aged over 40 is largely due to the motherhood penalty, whereby women returning to work after having children find it difficult to balance caring and earning, often resulting in them moving into part-time work that is below their skill level.
Why it's important to remain cautious about headline figures
It is evident that the picture painted by the headline gender pay gap figures and the reality of women’s lives are quite different. Although the gender pay gap continues to narrow across multiple measures progress is slow and uneven, with different groups of women facing wider pay gaps and further labour market disadvantages due to intersecting and compounding inequalities. Despite the narrowing pay gap, women continue to make up the majority of low-paid and part-time workers, are in increasingly precarious work, and female-dominated sectors continue to be undervalued. Therefore, whilst headline figures can provide some high-level insight into changes in the gender pay gap over time, it’s important they are not taken as the only indicator of gender inequality in the labour market.
Are you ready for the new flexible working regulations?
On 6 April 2024 the updated flexible working regulations come into effect. As an employer, it’s vital that you’re ready for the changes.
As working practice evolves, and with the introduction of employees being able to request flexible working from day one of their employment, it’s time to ensure that your organisation is prepared to support new and existing employees when it comes to working flexibly.
Here we’ll explain what you need to do to adhere to the new regulations. Alongside this we’ll unpick some of the barriers to flexible working, highlight good practice, and set out how to reap the benefits of a flexible workplace.
What’s changed?
The changes to flexible working regulations are:
- All employees will now be able to make two requests in any 12-month period.
- Employers are now required to deal with requests within two months of receiving the request.
- The employee no longer has to set out or justify the impact of their proposed flexible working arrangement.
- Before rejecting a flexible working request, the employer must consult with the employee. If the request is refused the employee can still appeal the decision.
These changes present an excellent opportunity to refresh your current practice, and improve your approach to flexible working. Here’s how.
Dealing with requests: How to get flexible working right
Update your flexible working policy
With the new flexible working regulations now in place, it’s important to ensure that your flexible working policy reflects these changes. Any accompanying guidance should also be updated.
This will help ensure managers are made aware of the latest changes and can respond effectively to new requests. Staff should be also informed of the updated policy and know where to access this. This will provide greater understanding of the process of how to submit a request, and how this should be handled. It’s good practice to regularly review your policies and check where they can be improved.
Engage senior leaders to show your commitment to flexible working
Senior leaders are key to encouraging flexible working in your organisation and fostering an inclusive workplace culture where it can thrive. With strong messaging and visible leadership about your organisation’s commitment to flexible working you can gain and retain talent, improve your business, and advance gender equality in your workplace. Leaders can do this by making a statement to staff about the use of flexible working and its benefits, ensuring employees are aware of how flexible working is done and can be used in your organisation.
Support your line managers to manage flexible working in their teams
Line managers are often the gatekeepers to flexible work. If they’re hesitant or resistant to this can discourage employees from submitting a request. They might assume that frontline workers or particular roles can’t work flexibly. Some line managers might never have managed flexible working before. This can lead to inconsistency in access to flexible work in your organisation. Where requests aren’t handled fairly, this creates unnecessary barriers.
No jobs should be automatically ruled out for flexible working and your flexible working policy should make this clear. Many businesses successfully have senior posts operating on a job-share or part-time basis, and it’s helpful to assume that all jobs can be done flexibly unless there are very clear business reasons why not. Data shows 63% of frontline workers are already working flexibly, showing this is a possibility for roles that are assumed to be more challenging to accommodate. By ensuring line managers are confident in dealing with requests and managing flexible working in their teams, you can make flexible working work for your employees and your organisation.
Trial new flexible working arrangements
With the many types of flexible working, it’s understandable that you may be unsure of what will work in your organisation. Trialling a new flexible working pattern is an easy way of finding out what works well for staff, for teams, and for the organisation. You can work with the employee to agree the length of the trial period and how you’ll evaluate the suitability of the new pattern.
Talk about flexible working from the outset
Another action that will support flexible working includes advertising all jobs as being considered for part-time and/or flexible working. Mentioning the availability of flexible working in adverts will help you attract applicants from a wider talent pool. Recent research shows that 60% of employers have said that flexible working has improved the quality and quantity of candidates. Talking about flexible working during interviews will let candidates know they are able to ask for it if they need it, making it easier to fill vacancies. Discussions on flexible working needs should also form a key part of inductions for new staff.
Ask your staff about their experiences
Looking at how flexible working is used in your organisation will help you understand what works, and what could be improved. The best way to do this is by gathering staff perspectives on their experiences, for example via a staff survey. You can also look at your HR data to identify who is more likely to request flexible working and/or to have their request approved. This will help identify if there are barriers in particular teams, or for particular groups of staff, enabling you to make targeted improvements.
Raise awareness of how employees already work flexibly
Some staff may not be aware that they’re able to work flexibly or don’t know how to approach the topic with their manager. By raising awareness of how flexible working is already used in your organisation you will show your employees that you’re open to flexible working, and encourage them to ask for it if they need to.
Share profiles of employees on different working patterns at different levels, for example senior leaders who work part-time, or teams where managers allow staff to vary start and finish times to enable them to manage childcare. Use a variety of staff communication methods to help reach all employees within your organisation.
By taking these actions, you can build a positive working culture around flexible working which means the new changes to the flexible working regulations will feel easier to manage.
Why women need flexible working
Flexible working is good for your organisation, but it’s also an essential for women’s workplace equality. Many of the causes of the gender pay gap are driven by women’s greater responsibility for unpaid care and the difficulties they still face in combining this with work, especially good quality work.
Women make up the majority of part-time workers. Part-time work is typically concentrated in lower-paid roles and in stereotypically female work, such as care work or admin. Because women often use part-time work to enable them to manage childcare this means they can end up trapped in work that’s below their skill level, seeing their talents wasted.
Where flexible or part-time working isn’t seen at senior levels, this reinforces the idea that caring roles are incompatible with progression. This means you can’t be sure you have the right person for the role, and it’s likely that you’re not making the most of your talent.
Flexible working can also support women’s particular health needs, for example enabling them work flexibly to manage symptoms associated with menopause or menstruation that can impact on their ability to work well.
Recognising the positive impact flexible working can make for women in the workplace can help encourage buy-in from senior leaders and line managers, and contribute to work to closing your gender pay gap. Taking a best practice approach will help you realise the benefits of a flexible workforce, both for your organisation and for your employees.
Helpful resources and further steps you can take
At Close the Gap, we offer a range of tools and resources to help support you to build good flexible working practice.
Our Close Your Pay Gap tool is useful for large employers who are publishing their gender pay gap and want to determine the key factors behind it. It uses your pay gap data, along with your answers to a short set of questions, to produce a personalised report and action plan for your company.
For SMEs our Think Business, Think Equality toolkit will support you to realise the benefits of equality and diversity in your business and to improve your employment practice. Here you can receive tailored feedback to improve your flexible working practice alongside other key areas.
Our Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme is designed to support employers in the public and third sectors. It provides employers with direct support to advance gender equality and tackle violence against women, through improving working practice across six key standards, including flexible working. To find out more, visit our website www.equallysafeatwork.scot
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