Barriers, Hopes and Opportunities for Women’s Work, Careers and Employment: An Overview of Insights and Recommendations From the Women and Work Partnership Project

An unprecedented interest in a collaborative and engaged approach to work and employment policy has been observed in Scotland in recent years. A growing appetite for better understanding of the impact of the workplace and working practices on citizens’ livelihoods and Scottish society as a whole, initiated a positive, long-awaited wider dialogue between the government, unions, employers, employees and other stakeholders. The Scottish Government’s drive towards a more progressive policy-making manifest a commitment towards a levelling of access to work opportunities and improving work experiences for working people in Scotland. Yet, the ambiguous context of labour market still poses difficulties for women accessing good work and employment opportunities. The Women and Work Partnership Project (WWPP) thus aims to further explore the working reality as experienced by working women in Scotland.This report will firstly describe the background and aims of the WWPP. Secondly, it will list the project work carried out from 1st May 2015 to 31st March 2016. Thirdly, the report aims to provide a commentary that links all the individual supplementary reports, by highlighting the most pressing findings which emerged from the project research. Lastly, the report will list recommendations and points for actions, including the need for an ongoing important discussion about women’s position in society, workplaces and unions.