The sex equality watchdog published an analysis of the extent to which central government public service agreements were 'gendered'; the availability of gender-disaggregated data used to monitor PSAs; and the possible impact of taking a gendered approach to the targets. A gender-disaggregated approach to the design, monitoring, and evaluation of PSAs could improve departmental performance against these targets, and provide other efficiency gains
Source: Sarah Payne and Sarah Ayres, with Paul Burton, Ray Forrest and Eva Lloyd, Public Service Agreement Targets: A Gendered Analysis, Working Paper 48, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Date: 2006-Dec
The government published the results of consultation on proposals to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality, and set out its approach in relation to the specific duties to apply to England and Wales. There had been a very broad welcome for the proposals, and especially for a statutory duty to take pro-active steps in promoting gender equality with an emphasis on outcomes.
Source: Advancing Equality for Men and Women: Government proposals to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality - The Government Response to Consultation, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | EOC press release
Date: 2006-Nov
An article examined the experience of developing gender equality indicators in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and the challenges confronting policy-makers in mainstreaming gender equality into public policies. It identified the internationalization of gender equality as a critical pressure on governments to address gender mainstreaming, and summarized the literature on gender equality indicators as a policy response to this demand.
Source: Esther Breitenbach and Yvonne Galligan, 'Measuring gender equality: reflecting on experiences and challenges in the UK and Ireland', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
The sex equality watchdog published its annual report for 2005-06.
Source: Annual Report & Accounts 2005-2006, HC 1423, Equal Opportunities Commission, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
Individual income statistics were published for 2004-05, allowing analyses of the weekly individual income of women and men in Great Britain, for both couples and single people. The individual incomes of women were less than those of men, and showed greater variation between groups.
Source: Individual Income 1996/97-2004/05, Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0029)
Links: Report | WEU press release | Statistical press release
Date: 2006-May
The sex equality watchdog published a report summarizing statistical information about women and men in Great Britain. It focused on changes since the 1970s in terms of education, employment, and public life. Once teenagers finished their GCSE exams, they rapidly switched to subjects normally regarded as male or female: almost 9 out of 10 students in engineering or technology subjects were male, while just 1 in 5 computer studies students were female. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Facts About Women & Men in Great Britain 2006, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Report | EOC press release | TES report | BBC report
Date: 2006-May
An article examined the justifications for affirmative action to increase women's political representation, asking what set this apart from other contexts in which women were under-represented.
Source: Aileen McHarg, 'Quotas for women! The Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 33 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
The sex equality watchdog in Wales said that there had been very little progress between 2004 and 2006 in getting women into the leadership of public bodies in Wales.
Source: Who Runs Wales?, Equal Opportunities Commission Wales (029 2034 3552) and Wales Women s National Coalition
Links: Report | EOC press release | BBC report
Date: 2006-Mar
The judicial appointments watchdog said that headhunters might have to be used to overcome the reluctance of women and ethnic minority lawyers to apply to join an overwhelmingly white, male judiciary.
Source: Annual Report 2006, Commission for Judicial Appointments (020 7217 4470)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined progress on equal opportunities for women in Wales in 2005.
Source: Wales Review 2005, Equal Opportunities Commission Wales (029 2034 3552)
Links: Report | EOC press release
Date: 2006-Feb
The sex equality watchdog began consultation on the gender equality duty (due to come into force in April 2007), requiring public bodies to eliminate sex discrimination and promote equality throughout their services, policies, and employment and recruitment practices.
Source: Gender Equality Duty: Draft Code of Practice - Great Britain, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Draft Code | EOC press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An article examined the treatment of women's concerns in Conservative Party general election manifestos over the period 1992-2005.
Source: Sarah Childs, Paul Webb and Sally Marthaler, 'Constituting and substantively representing women: applying new approaches to a UK case study', Politics and Gender, Volume 6 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
The women's equality watchdog said that it was delighted that the government was introducing a duty on public bodies to promote gender equality: but the proposals for the specific duties needed further refinement.
Source: Advancing Equality for Men and Women: Government proposals to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Response
Date: 2006-Jan
A Church of England working party report proposed arrangements aimed at both permitting women to become bishops and at preserving the maximum amount of unity within the Church. The arrangements would meet the essential needs of those who could not accept that women should be bishops, while avoiding the creation of any new jurisdiction, diocese, or province within the Church.
Source: Women in the Episcopate: The Guildford Group Report, Church of England (020 7898 1326)
Links: Report | C of E press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
An annual survey of women's representation in positions of power suggested that equality between men and women would take 20 years to achieve in the top management of the civil service; 40 years at the director level of FTSE 100 companies; 40 years in the senior judiciary; and up to 200 years another 40 elections in Parliament.
Source: Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? 2006, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Report | EOC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan