The Scottish Government

Gender

Out of the 129 MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, 51 are women (39.5%), as compared to 15% of MPs at UK government level. This under-representation of women in the Parliament, although it compares very favourably with the Westminster figure of 15%, is replicated across many facets of public life with women being under-represented in public appointments and as Chairs of public bodies (source: Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies in Scotland, 2003). Increasing participation by women requires changes in attitutde about who is an adequate leader, who can stand for public office, and how people should be treated once they have made it into a public appointment. There are still great gender barriors which need to be eliminated to ensure equality in government.

Scottish Executive

• Diversity in the Public Appointments Process in Scotland (2003) Research which examines the public appointments process in Scotland in relation to diversity. It provides recommendations for improving the process to help produce a more diverse range of candidates.
• Women's Issues in Local Partnership Working (2000) The aim of the research is to identify and explore women's issues in the context of local partnership working by exploring perceptions of these issues and the strategies used to address them.
• Women in Decision-Making in Scotland: A Review of Research (1999) The study focuses on the extent and character of research being undertaken on women in decision-making in political, economic and social spheres.

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

• Equality and Diversity in Local Government in England: A Literature Review (2003) This report provides an overview of recent literature which examines how local authorities in England have dealt with issues of equality and diversity. Three themes are covered in relation to equality and diversity: representation and participation; employment; and services.

Equal Opporunities Commission