We welcome the inquiry by the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament and look forward to seeing support across the political parties to find solutions to the segregation and inequality experienced by women in employment and training in Scotland's workforce ("Warning women facing workplace segregation", The Herald, December 10).
Women's increasing unemployment and marginalisation from the labour market, the scandal of unequal pay in local government, and the decline of affordable and accessible childcare do not add up to economic growth. These are among the key issues for evidence and answers from this inquiry. Some answers lie in working through schools, colleges and universities to cast off outdated assumptions about the paid and unpaid work women do, challenging stereotypes that lead to notions of women's work and men's jobs, and investing in childcare as integral to our economic infrastructure.
Scotland's future relies on making the most of our talent, across the workforce. Ongoing discrimination and segregation in training, employment and caring roles undervalue women and men and undermine our potential.
Angela O'Hagan, Convenor, Scottish Women's Budget Group, Close the Gap, Women in Scotland's Economy, Engender, 1a Haddington Place, Edinburgh.
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