Local MSP Jackie Baillie is encouraging women in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh to make their voice heard following the launch of an inquiry on the gender pay gap.

With women working full-time in Scotland still earning on average 6.2% less than men, the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee is asking what can be done to ‘close the gap’. Jackie Baillie is a member of the committee and she wants the final report to reflect the views of local people.

You can have your say by emailing the committee at GenderPayGap@parliament.scot or writing to Gender Pay Gap, Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP. The closing date for submissions is 10 March 2017.

Taking part in the consultation is easy and the Committee is also welcoming short responses on social media. People are being encouraged to take a selfie and fill in the sentence ‘Ending the #GenderPayGap matters because…’. You can download and print the sign on Jackie Baillie’s website at www.jackiebaillie.co.uk/genderpaygap.

Jackie said:

“It’s almost 50 years ago since the Labour Party introduced the Equal Pay Act so it is disappointing that the gender pay gap remains so wide. Recent research has suggested that women’s earnings would increase by £5,300 per head per year if they were paid the same as men. This would be worth an extra £6.5 billion in Scotland alone. There is such potential to grow our economy, but we need to do much more to close the gap between men and women.

“This consultation document is not just for women, it is for men also -; we need more male feminists if we are to challenge the age old inequalities and attitudes that exist. I hope that men and women across Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh will contribute to the debate