Linda Somerville: Tackling gender inequality will benefit us all

IN THE early 20th century thousands of women took to the streets of New York City to call for better pay, shorter hours and voting rights. Huge progress has been made since then, but as we prepare to celebrate International Women's Day next week, very real gender inequalities persist on our own doorstep.

Forty years on from the groundbreaking Equal Pay Act, women working full-time in Scotland are paid, on average, 12.2 per cent less than men. This gap stretches to 32 per cent for part-time workers. Women are still corralled into low-paid, low-status employment while the underlying problem of occupational segregation continues to characterise Scotland's labour force.

The United Nations has made access to education and employment for females in science and technology a key theme for 2011. But despite girls performing well in science and mathematics, fewer young women than men choose careers in these sectors. There are also a disproportionate number of women who leave at each stage of the career ladder – and it is businesses that are counting the cost. A staggering 73 per cent of skilled Scottish women with science or technology qualifications no longer work in these sectors.

My organisations works to change workplace practices and support the recruitment, retention and success of women in education and employment. If the Scottish Government is serious about creating a nation where we all contribute and prosper then this waste of talent has to stop.

Scotland has a global reputation for innovation and expertise in science, engineering and technology and is imperative that any incoming government invests in these sectors. Economic growth will be achieved by addressing skills shortages but also by unlocking the talent available to us. Ensuring women have equal access to the labour market benefits not just women but the economy as a whole. Are the men in charge willing to turn the key?

• Linda Somerville, Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, Edinburgh Napier University