Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of members, reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) Women’s Conference in Glasgow on 23 and 24 October.
Usdaw is seeking to address the under-representation of women in policy and decision making, along with more support for women carers.
Ruth Cross – Usdaw equalities officer says: “Women remain under-represented in political spaces, in peace processes and in all of Scotland’s democratic bodies.
“There are multiple barriers to women accessing politics, particularly Black women, disabled women and LGBT+ women. Women make up 52% of the Scottish population and should be equally represented in our democratic bodies and our movement, but gender parity is far from becoming a reality. Women hold 37% of seats in the Scottish Parliament, 24% of seats in local council chambers and only 36% of public board places. Women are under-represented in politics.
“There are welcome examples of positive progress for women’s representation in Scotland in recent years, but we need to guard against regression and take bold action to make sure progress is sustained in the future. Sexism, misogyny and violence violate women’s right to participate equally in political and public life. Attacks on women in public life are also increasing and more women are withdrawing from public life as a result.
“Evidence shows women bring lived experience to political decision making, resulting in decisions that address violence, human rights abuses and promote more equal access to resources and services. Increased representation for women in politics has a positive impact on both gender equality issues and social policy more broadly. We need to fully integrate women into all our political and union structures and address our specific policy concerns.
“Usdaw is asking conference delegates to support our call on the STUC Women’s Committee to press the STUC and Scottish Government, local authorities, public bodies and political parties to take all steps to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all women and to continue to be vigilant about ensuring women are accurately represented in every aspect of public and political life.”
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “There is evidence that providing care impacts on almost every aspect of women’s daily lives, decision making and financial circumstances.
“In Scotland, over half of women carers have said that their physical health has been negatively affected as a result of their caring role and a shocking 81% feel stressed or anxious because of their role. Yet their care responsibilities and the effort required to make themselves available to do their jobs is frequently invisible to or ignored by employers.
“The recent scandal surrounding the recovery of overpaid Carer’s Allowance has brought to light the systemic way in which social security is failing carers, although we are pleased that our new Labour Government has moved swiftly by setting up a review to address issues faced by carers.
“The problems with Carer’s Allowance are replicated in the relatively new Carer Payment which is being rolled out in Scotland. “As it currently stands, Carer’s Allowance is deepening women’s poverty and contributing to their ongoing inequality. The processes currently in place to rectify overpayments cause lasting harm and distress.
“Due to this lack of recognition and support, women carers are often compelled to reduce hours of work, take unpaid or sick leave or give up work altogether. This has a knock-on effect on income, resulting in a higher poverty rate for carers than those without a caring role.”
Usdaw is calling on the Scottish Government to:
- Promote flexible and paid employment rights that explicitly value the contribution of unpaid carers, no matter what kind of job or contract they have.
- Improve access to quality and reliable social care.
- Timetable urgent reform to eligibility for Carer Support Payment that does not restrict carers’ employment decisions.