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MINISTERIAL FOREWORD
I am delighted to introduce the Scottish Government's gender equality scheme 2008-11.
Scotland should be a place where all of its people are treated fairly and have the opportunity to fulfil their potential in all aspects of their lives. Despite thirty years of legislation and the progress that has been made to achieve equality between men and women, we still have much to do.
We know that all too often women experience disadvangtage and inequality in the workplace and in many other spheres of life. We know that men also experience disadvantage, particularly where they wish to play a full role as fathers and achieve a balance between work and family responsibilities.
The Scottish Government is committed to creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish. However, if we are to achieve this objective we need to ensure that the frameworks and the policies which we develop remove barriers and challenge the attitudes and behaviours that prevent gender equality in Scotland.
The public sector duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, and promote equality of opportunity between men and women, is an instrument to drive both institutional and cultural change.
Our revised Scheme sets out how, as an organisation, we intend to approach gender equality over the next three years. It outlines the actions we intend to take to ensure that our policies, practices and services take into account the needs of women and men. Our Scheme also emphasises the need to fully consider and understand the needs and experiences of women and men in our policy development.
We know that achieving gender equality will not be easy, but we are committed to this challenge and thereby creating a fairer and more successful Scotland that we can be proud to live in.
NICOLA STURGEON, MSP
CABINET SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
JUNE 2008
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