TRANSPORT Minister Humza Yousaf is facing calls to force ScotRail to adopt quotas to ensure that half its board members are women.

The call for 50/50 gender representation came after it emerged that just two out of ScotRail’s 12 board members are women.

Yousaf held a "sexism summit" with transport unions amid concerns that rail is one of Scotland's most male dominated industries.

However, the TSSA union says Yousaf should use his influence to get the privately owned ScotRail to agree for 50 per cent of its board members to be women.

TSSA head of communications, Carmel Nolan, who led her union's delegation at the "sexism summit", said: "Humza is in no way to blame for the fact that male-dominated industries and occupations are particularly vulnerable to masculine stereotypes that make it even more difficult for women to excel.

"He convinced our all-woman delegation that he has a clear understanding that senior leadership teams dominated by men set the tone for talent management norms that allow masculine stereotypes to influence both in promotion, development and retention of senior women employees.

"His commitment to overturning embedded sexist practice is welcomed and he gets that it needs to happen from the top down if the gender gap is ever to be eradicated.

"We are sure he will be willing to lobby for the extension of the SNP's 50-50 gender balance law into ScotRail.

"After all, companies in receipt of high public subsidies should be subject to the same code of ethics as any other public body if pro-male biases are ever to be overturned."

Nicola sturgeon has already introduced a 50-50 gender balance law for public bodies. The rule does not cover private firms like ScotRail.

There are just two women on the ScotRail Alliance executive board, which is in charge of the day-to-day running of services.

A spokeswoman for government agency Transport Scotland said Yousaf was keen to boost women's representation in the rail industry: “The Scottish Government has strong policy around equality and have also made real efforts to encourage more females to consider a career in the traditionally male dominated rail sector.

“The Transport Minister is happy to support efforts that reflect the Scottish Government’s aim of increasing diversity within the transport industry.”

ScotRail Alliance communications director Sue Evans added: “ScotRail is committed to equality, which is why women and men are paid the same for doing equivalent jobs.

“But it’s no secret that the railway industry has historically been very male-dominated, particularly in engineering and operations roles. We are working very hard to change that, by encouraging more females to consider a career with us.”