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More than 120 projects across Scotland will share £38 million to support survivors of gender-based violence and focus on prevention.
The Delivering Equally Safe Fund (DES) is a new two-year funding programme to support third sector organisations and public bodies contribute to the objectives, priorities, and outcomes of the Equally Safe strategy.
The Fund includes more than £28 million for frontline services which provide direct support to women and girls, prioritising services that maximise their safety and wellbeing.
The two-year fund has also been increased by an additional £1 million per year to support projects which focus on early intervention and preventative measures.
Funding will be distributed to 121 projects, including Respect, which provides helpline services for perpetrators of domestic abuse, Kingdom Abuse Survivors project and Moray Women’s Aid.
Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Violence against women and girls is appalling and unacceptable which is why we are funding organisations that are tackling the issue head on, including frontline services that support survivors and get to the root of abusive behaviour.
“These organisations are offering new and innovative ways to aid recovery, encourage education, and increase prevention awareness.
“I am also pleased that we have been able to increase our funding by more than £1 million a year more than our original fund to increase our support to these important initiatives.
“I look forward to seeing the results of the important the work that Equally Safe Fund will deliver.”
Melanie Wood, from Moray Women’s Aid said: “We are delighted to receive funding through the Delivering Equally Safe fund. It will allow us to continue to deliver essential services to vulnerable women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse when they most needed it.
“The funding will support the work of our Community Outreach Project and the Children and Young Person’s Service.”
Fiction book bundle chosen by the women ‘behind the Fringe’
The proceeds of each bundle go directly towards a fund supporting artists to create and bring work to the Fringe
Home of female fiction, Rare Birds Books has teamed up with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society to launch a limited-edition book bundle that will support artists and bring work to the Fringe.
Created to celebrate both the opening of the new Rare Birds Books store in Stockbridge, and the return of the Fringe following global lockdowns, the bundles are comprised of three brilliant books, all by female authors.
Chosen by three of the women ‘behind the Fringe’, the proceeds of each bundle will go directly to supporting Fringe performers for years to come.
Sharing some of their favourite reads, the women who curated the bundle may not be known to the general public but are some of the biggest reasons the festival goes ahead.
Working across three of the Fringe’s major venues, Rowan Campbell, the General Manager of Summerhall; Dani Rae, the General Manager of Assembly and Katy Koren, who co-runs Gilded Balloon, all have a rich and varied history with the Fringe.
Available directly from Rare Birds Books shop and website, as well as via the Fringe website, the bundles cost £30 and contain The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (Rowan’s pick), The Emperor’s Babe by Bernadine Evaristo (Dani’s pick) and Motherwell by Deborah Orr (Katy’s pick) – a sparkling example of some of the best modern female fiction.
Rare Birds founder, Rachel Wood, said: “When it comes to the city we call home, few things are more defining that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
“We feel so lucky to have such a world-class festival on our doorstep, and to celebrate our new Edinburgh store, we thought there was no better way than to give back to the festival we all love so much.”
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “We are delighted to be working with Rare Birds on this very special collaboration that will help raise vital funds for Fringe artists.
“Storytelling is at the very heart of the Fringe, and we are proud to champion these stories and celebrate the strong, brilliant women at this festival as well as across the creative industries.”
Beginning as a way to champion female authors, as well as to celebrate and share women’s stories, Rare Birds Books opens its first ever store in Edinburgh on 6th August, with aspirations to continue supporting the Fringe, as well as other local businesses.
Available from 1st August until the end of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
For more information visit https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/ and edfringe.com/support-us
Around 7 in 10 (68%) disabled women surveyed about sexual harassment say they have been sexually harassed at work, according to a new poll published by the TUC.
And younger disabled women aged 18 to 34 are even more likely to have experienced sexual harassment, with almost 8 out of 10 (78%) reporting being harassed at work.
Sexual harassment
A ground-breaking TUC study on sexual harassment published in 2016 found that more than half (52%) of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. And in a further TUC survey in 2019, nearly 7 in 10 (68%) lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people reported being sexually harassed at work
Sexual harassment at work can take many forms, from suggestive remarks, jokes about a colleague’s sex life, circulating pornography, to inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing, demands for sexual favours, and even assault and rape.
This new TUC survey – which is the first major study into the sexual harassment of disabled women at work in Great Britain, and was carried out by YouGov – found that of those surveyed:
Reporting
Two-thirds (67%) of disabled women who experienced sexual harassment at work told the TUC that they did not report the harassment to their boss the most recent time it happened. Of these, the most common reason was that they did not believe they would be taken seriously (39%).
Some said they were worried it would have a negative impact on their career or work relationships (30%). Other reasons included not thinking they would be believed (13%) or thinking they would be blamed if they reported the incident (11%).
And unfortunately, of those who did report the most recent instance of sexual harassment, more than half (53%) said it was not dealt with satisfactorily.
Impact
Disabled women told the TUC that sexual harassment had a big effect on their lives.
Around 1 in 3 (34%) said their experiences had a negative impact on their mental health. More than 1 in 5 (21%) said it negatively affected their relationships with colleagues. And it caused 1 in 8 (12%) to leave their job or employer entirely.
Disabled women face significant barriers getting into work and to getting paid the same as non-disabled workers, says the TUC.
TUC research in October 2020 found that disabled women earned 36% less than non-disabled men. And the analysis found that the unemployment gap for disabled women, when compared to non-disabled men was 32.6 percentage points.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “No one should face sexual harassment at work. But seven in ten disabled women say they have been sexually harassed by a colleague or a customer while at work.
“Four years on from the explosion of #MeToo on a global scale, employers still aren’t doing enough to make sure women are safe at work. It’s time for every employer to take responsibility for protecting their staff from sexual harassment.
“Ministers must change the law to make employers protect workers from sexual harassment specifically, and from all forms of harassment by customers and clients.
“Anyone worried about sexual harassment at work should get in touch with their union.”
Ministers must act
The TUC is calling on the government to take a range of actions including:
Talk all things menopause, laugh until you pee yourself and support your sisters!
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Police Scotland are hosting an Online Recruitment Event to encourage more females to apply for the role of Police Officer.
The event will be held via MS Teams on Wednesday 5th May from 6.30pm-8pm.
To sign up, email your name & the date of event to:
recruitmentpositiveactionteam@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Volunteer Edinburgh are running a women only MAP (Motivation, Aspirations & Progression) programme adapted from our employability course, focusing on skills, confidence & wellbeing.
It will be a blended Zoom course in small groups over 4 weeks, from 28th April. For more information: Christine.Meldrum@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.
We have adapted our bespoke Employability MAP (Motivation, Aspirations, Progression) course, which is now a free blended online course which will run over four weeks.
You will have access to an online portal where you can work at your own pace, and there will be online exercises and weekly meetings in small groups of a maximum of four via Zoom™.
In the fourth week we will meet at an outdoor location and transport and refreshments will be provided.
There will be a choice of times that you can book, and you will meet with other participants and the facilitators to discuss and share.
If you can identify with or are curious about any of this and would like to find out more about the course or the facilitator, please contact Christine Meldrum by email at christine.meldrum@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk or alternatively you can call or text on 0131 561 8322 or 07505 446 024 for more information.
A new study has revealed how much unpaid work the average woman does, and the amount she would be paid for it on the job market. It estimates that the combined total for women across Scotland totals billions of pounds each year.
The research, by IVA Advice, analysed the unpaid household tasks a British woman does on average each week, such as childcare, cooking, laundry and cleaning, and the average salary for jobs doing the equivalent, such as a cleaner, carer or kitchen assistant.
It revealed that women spend more than 30 hours per week doing unpaid labour and could expect to be paid around £15,000 a year for the work.
An estimated 2.35 million women over the age of 16 live in Scotland, which means the combined total of unpaid work by women across the country equates to £680 million each week, £2.94 billion each month, and £35.3 billion each year.
Approximately 21.5 million women over the age of 16 live in the UK, so the unpaid work by women across Great Britain and Northern Ireland adds up to a staggering £891 million each day, £27 billion each month, and £324 billion each year.
In addition, 71.8% of those women also have paid jobs, meaning 15.49 million women are effectively working two jobs, while only being paid for one.
If the work were to be paid, government coffers would swell to the tune of an extra £10.9 billion per year in tax, and £14.3 billion in annual National Insurance contributions.
On average the most time-consuming unpaid labour for women in the UK is cooking, which takes up more than seven hours each week, followed by nearly six hours of providing transport, and more than four hours each of childcare and housework.
| Unpaid household tasks | Equivalent job | Average yearly salary | Average monthly salary | Average hourly rate | Average hours women spend on task per week | Unpaid salary per week | Unpaid salary per month | Unpaid salary per year |
| Childcare | Nursery assistant | £19,000 | £1,583.33 | £9.74 | 4.40 | £45.49 | £197.11 | £2,365.26 |
| Transport | Taxi driver | £19,720 | £1,643.33 | £10.11 | 5.51 | £59.14 | £256.29 | £3,075.46 |
| Cooking | Kitchen assistant | £16,622 | £1,385.17 | £8.52 | 7.17 | £62.03 | £268.78 | £3,225.33 |
| Shopping | Supermarket delivery driver | £15,317 | £1,276.42 | £7.85 | 4.33 | £35.72 | £154.78 | £1,857.31 |
| Laundry | Laundry attendant | £17,355 | £1,446.25 | £8.90 | 2.24 | £21.36 | £92.56 | £1,110.72 |
| Housework (cleaning and tidying) | Cleaner | £18,579 | £1,548.25 | £9.53 | 3.40 | £44.41 | £192.44 | £2,309.31 |
| Gardening | Professional gardener | £20,536 | £1,711.33 | £10.53 | 1.13 | £12.85 | £55.67 | £668.02 |
| Adult care (for elderly and disabled) | Carer | £20,759 | £1,729.92 | £10.65 | 0.19 | £3.41 | £14.77 | £177.22 |
| Home repairs | Labourer | £20,536 | £1,711.33 | £10.53 | 0.29 | £4.84 | £20.99 | £251.88 |
| Totals | 31.25 | £289.24 | £1,253.38 | £15,040.51 |
IVA Advice provides free, qualified advice to help people solve their debt problems for good. Its team of experienced experts help ensure that anyone who has problems with debt is able to reclaim financial control.
Report raises concerns as services supporting women and babies come under strain
During and after pregnancy, women have faced greater likelihood of poor mental health during the pandemic, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and suicidal thoughts, according to a new report commissioned by a coalition of leading maternal mental health organisations.
Women of colour and women from poorer economic backgrounds are more likely to experience mental health problems during and after pregnancy, according to the research.
The rapid review of evidence commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), and conducted by Centre for Mental Health, for the first time compiles all available evidence into one place.
This shows that access to crucial services reduced for pregnant women, new mums and babies across the UK, especially during the early stages of the pandemic. While health and care staff worked hard to deliver safe care, significant gaps emerged. Women also experienced a reduction in informal support from friends, relatives and networks of other women sharing their experiences.
Extra pressures include anxiety about giving birth during lockdown without partners present, fears of losing jobs, heightened levels of domestic violence, bereavement, worries about catching Covid-19, and concern about new infants catching the disease.
The MMHA, a network of over 100 national organisations, together with lived experience champions and clinicians, is calling on Ministers to fill the pre-Covid gaps in specialist perinatal mental health.
In addition, the wider system surrounding these services, including health visiting and maternity, needs to be protected and enhanced. Furthermore, up-to-date monitoring and research of maternal mental healthcare should be commissioned.
It also says that without sustained funding, many Voluntary and Community Services will not survive, despite the increased demand from women for their services.
Luciana Berger, chair of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) said: ‘Today’s report should serve as an ear-splitting warning siren about the dangers to women’s maternal mental health and potential risks to the wellbeing of their babies.
The pandemic has placed additional challenges on new and expectant mums getting the care and support they need, taking many already-stretched services to the point of breaking. Women of colour and women from disadvantaged backgrounds have been particularly impacted, and Ministers must address this injustice with urgency.’
Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Centre for Mental Health, which carried out the research, said: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has been a mental health challenge across society, but it has not affected everyone equally. It has placed especial pressure on women during pregnancy and after they’ve given birth.
“And it has made inequalities that were always there in plain sight even more pronounced. We need to take this opportunity to review and reframe what support women should expect for their mental health during the perinatal period, and to make sure that we prepare for any future crisis to avoid another loss of support at a crucial time in people’s lives.’
Aleema Shivji, Comic Relief Executive Director for Impact and Investment said: ‘The pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on the nation’s mental health and it is sadly no surprise that, as this report proves, pregnant women and new mums who face enormous challenges, have sadly been worst affected.
“It’s clear that more work is needed urgently to help tackle the shame and stigma attached to maternal mental health for mums to feel recognised, supported and able to ask for help. At Comic Relief we have prioritised funding mental health services for over 25 years, but it is clear this is still needed now more than ever.’
Today’s report Maternal mental health during a pandemic was commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and conducted by Centre for Mental Health, and covers all four parts of the UK.
Joanna Barrett, Associate Head of Policy (Nations) at NSPCC Scotland, said: “This report highlights the profound impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of parents during and following pregnancy, particularly in the most deprived communities of the country.
“We have long warned that without the right support at the right time, adult mental health problems during pregnancy and the first year can have serious immediate and long-term consequences for both young children and their families.
“That’s why our Fight for a Fair Start campaign is calling on the Scottish Government to invest in universal early years support, to give professionals the ‘time to care’ to develop positive and trusting relationships with infants and their families.
“This will give babies the best possible start in life, the support to recover from the pandemic, and the opportunity to thrive not just survive.”
Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee has published its report on coronavirus and the gendered economic impact. The report has found that the economic impact of coronavirus has affected men and women differently. This is because of existing gendered economic inequalities, the over-representation of women in certain types of work and the actions the Government has taken.
The report calls on the Government to:
Committee Chair Caroline Nokes said: “As the pandemic struck, the Government had to act quickly to protect jobs and adapt welfare benefits. “These have provided a vital safety net for millions of people. But it overlooked the labour market and caring inequalities faced by women.
“These are not a mystery, they are specific and well understood. And yet the Government has repeatedly failed to consider them.
“This passive approach to gender equality is not enough. And for many women it has made existing equality problems worse: in the support to self-employed people, to pregnant women and new mothers, to the professional childcare sector, and for women claiming benefits. And it risks doing the same in its plans for economic recovery.
“We heard evidence from a wide range of organisations, including Maternity Action, the National Hair and Beauty Federation, the TUC, the Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years, the single parents campaign group Gingerbread, the Young Women’s Trust and the Women’s Budget Group. And written evidence from many more.
“The message from our evidence is clear: Government policies have repeatedly skewed towards men—and it keeps happening.
“We need to see more than good intentions and hoping for the best. The Government must start actively analysing and assessing the equality impact of every policy, or it risks turning the clock back.
“Our report sets out a package of twenty recommendations for change and a timescale. Taken together, these will go a long way towards tackling the problems and creating the more equal future that so many women—and men—want to see.
“The Government should seize this opportunity.”
Responding to today’s report by the Woman and Equalities Committee, which sets out how women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady (above) said: “Women have been put in an impossible situation during the pandemic – often expected to work and look after children at the same time.
“Too many working mums are having to cut their hours or being forced to leave their jobs because they cannot manage.
“If ministers don’t act, women will be pushed out of the labour market. And that means women’s and children’s poverty will soar.
“Ministers must give all parents a temporary right to be furloughed now.
“And they must fix the UK’s lamentable support for working parents. That means giving all parents at least ten days’ paid parental leave each year, making real flexible working available to all, and funding childcare properly.
“Unless ministers strengthen rights and support for working parents, women’s equality risks being set back decades.”
On the committee’s recommendation to carry out and publish an equality impact assessment on how government policies have affected women, Frances O’Grady added: “The government must urgently carry out and publish equality impact assessments of all its policies during this pandemic.
“This crisis, and the government’s response to it, is deepening inequalities for women at work.”
A TUC survey of 52,000 working mums published earlier this month revealed that 9 in 10 had experienced higher levels of anxiety and stress levels during this latest lockdown.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of those who had applied for furlough following the latest school closures have had their requests turned down.
The TUC says this situation results from the UK’s failure to help families balance paid work and childcare.
It is calling on the government to introduce:
