Newsletter October 2007

This has been an exciting year for the Scottish Women’s Convention and we are delighted to report that the SWC is now an independent organisation.....click here for more information.

Gender Equality Duty
On 6 April 2007 the Gender Equality Duty came into force. This duty requires all public sector bodies to eliminate unlawful sex discrimination and promote equality of opportunity between women and men. This duty is significant as it is now a requirement of the public authorities to promote equality rather than relying on individuals to challenge and highlight discrimination. This duty is the biggest change in sex discrimination legislation since the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

All public authorities such as education, local government, police and health providers have to comply with this duty. Each body will have to develop services which meet the needs of all women and men. For more information on the gender duty click here (external website).

The EOC have produced toolkits which contain advice and sample letters on what to do if you think a public body is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the Gender Equality Duty.

Click here to download Enforcing the Gender Duty Toolkit for Individuals.