Parents' Article

Continued

A woman`s place is……where exactly?

The Equal Opportunities Commission says in its recent report `Sex and Power: Who runs Scotland?` that only the most determined women are overcoming political, industrial and business barriers to success. So, at the moment, Scotland is missing out by failing to promote women into positions of power.

The report shows the limited number of women in senior positions in Scotland:

• 27% college principals
• 12% of senior judges
• 21% of secondary head teachers

`It is in everyone`s interest for politicians and employers to do their part to remove age-old barriers, transform the workplace and politics and deliver real and lasting change. The issue is about empowering working mothers and fathers to have a real choice about the time they spend with their families,` said Rowena Arshad, EOC Scotland.

Parent power

So it`s in your hands. What can you do to help your daughters and sons approach career choice with an open mind?

Top Tips

• Focus on developing individual skills and abilities

If your son is interested in dancing classes, or your daughter wants to play football, then don`t let what other people think stop you from supporting them.

• Think about what you say

Children do listen to their parents (sometimes more than you think!). So, if you have views about the types of jobs that you think are suitable for men or women, ask yourself why?

• The media

Be aware of the messages that adverts and `soaps` give out. Talk about these at home. Quite often they can be reinforcing gender stereotypes from a very young age. It is often done in a very subtle way so that you hardly realise the underlying messages that are being presented.

• Support

If your son or daughter (or even you!) want to think about a non-traditional career area then you can find out about careers and courses at PlanIT Plus. To find out more about challenging gender stereotypes visit www.equalfuturz.net

Source for stats: Sex and power. Who runs Scotland 2007?