Leaders: A generation of change but inequality persists

More than 20 years have passed since this newspaper first changed its masthead for International Women’s Day, an annual observance that can be traced as far back as 1911. Over that two-decade period, there has been considerable change for better; who in 1995 would have supposed that the three leaders of political parties in a devolved Scottish Parliament would be women, or that the membership of the Scottish Cabinet would be split equally along gender lines?

These are hugely encouraging developments, but the question all of us must ask is this: is the pace of change sufficient? The evidence would suggest it is not.

As our exclusive poll to mark International Women’s Day reveals, one in four Scots say they have witnessed gender discrimination in their place of work, while only just over a third of those questioned envisage a time when full gender equality will be reached in Scotland.

Among those aged 16 to 24, as many as 58 per cent believe gender equality will come in their lifetime, which is cheering to see, but we cannot depend on the optimism of youth alone when the matter at hand is so serious.

These are galling findings that show there is much to be done before Scotland’s women can enjoy the opportunities mentioned by Nicola Sturgeon in her inaugural speech as First Minister.

Talat Yaqoob, the co-founder and chair of Women 50:50, the campaign which seeks at least 50 per cent representation of women across Holyrood, local government and  public boards, said the poll results were “disappointing but not surprising”.

Regrettably, this is true, but the research casts doubt over how best to redress such historic problems. While Ms Sturgeon is among one of four party leaders to endorse the  Women 50:50 drive, the appetite for such a legislated quota system is not clear.

Our poll of 1,000 people, carried out by ICM, found that just 23 per cent of respondents were in favour of a mandatory split of men and women in senior public sector roles and MSP positions.

The ultimate aspiration should be achieving a state of gender blindness, where people are judged on their merits and not their sex.

There is no single or easy solution, but Ms Yaqoob is right to point to areas where every employer can make a difference, such as better equality and diversity training, improved recruitment policies, and tackling maternity discrimination. With Scottish Parliament elections looming, there is no better time to confront these issues head on and demand to know what our politicians intend to do to make these goals a reality.

The past 20 years have brought welcome changes, but there have not been enough of them. Changing the masthead of this newspaper might seem a contrivance to some, but if it encourages people to strike up a conversation about how to make Scotland a more progressive and fair country, then it will have achieved its aim.

Let us hope that in another 20 years, the pace of change has become unstoppable.

Failings in migrant crisis chastening

The bewildering scale of the migrant crisis is such that sometimes it requires the crudity of numbers to articulate.

Statistics released yesterday show that 3,500 migrants were detained in Britain after crossing the Channel at the height of last summer.

Whether it was people hiding themselves on vehicles aboard the ferry to Dover or freight trains arriving in Folkestone, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons report pointed to a 126 per cent increase in detentions at the main holding facility at Dover Seaport last year.

These figures tell two stories, the first being the more self-evident. The sheer desperation of those seeking refuge on these shores means they would risk their lives in order to make it to Britain.

Secondly, it shows that despite all the right words having been said, this country is still not able to meet the exacting demands it insists other nations should aspire to.

The mass movement of migrants was an extraordinary event few could have anticipated, but yesterday’s report flags up several humiliating failings.

HMIP described the response as “inadequate,” warning that the basic physical needs of detainees were not met and conditions lacked decency. Although an inspection was carried out several months after emergency procedures were put in place, HMIP said it was “unacceptable that arrangements were still not in place to process detainees quickly, efficiently and decently.”

At a time Prime Minister David Cameron is urging the rest of Europe to make good on promises to help Turkey cope with the influx of people fleeing Syria, it makes for chastening reading.