Women pay the price of budget cuts

WOMEN will be more negatively affected by this year's public sector budget cuts than men, according to a report by Edinburgh Napier University.

The report was undertaken by experts in the Employment Research Institute at the university, and commissioned by the Scottish Government, who examined UK and international evidence on the impact of reduced spending on certain groups, including women, the elderly, people with disabilities and people in minority ethnic and religious groups.

The findings show that women are likely to be disproportionately impacted as they are currently so well represented in the public sector.

The findings also suggest that getting back into work may be tougher for women.

Professor Dame Joan Stringer, principal of Edinburgh Napier, said: "Decisions that result in a disproportionate number of women losing their jobs are likely to have a retrograde impact on progress towards greater equality.

"Without the right balance of men and women's skills in a workplace, you risk disrupting what makes many businesses operate and grow successfully."