On Friday we welcomed the Minister for Business and Fair Work @thomascarthur.bsky.social to the Close the Gap office to discuss the future of fair work policy. We shared findings from our Excluded by Design research and emphasised the need to prioritise action on fair work for disabled women.

🎉This week the Close the Gap team came together for our annual staff away day, and this year was particularly meaningful as we celebrate 25 years as an organisation. We reflected on our growth & achievements over that time, shared updates on current projects & looked ahead to what's next.

See our Confronting Women's Poverty series & read our intro paper here: www.engender.org.uk/cwp/

📢 It's time to confront women's poverty in Scotland. Today, we're launching our new series, Confronting Women’s Poverty, outlining our 5-point plan of action to eliminate the gender income gap & prevent destitution for women & their children. 🧵⬇

We've submitted evidence to the @ukparliament.parliament.uk Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into flexible working and disability. Our response draws on our research on disabled women's experiences of employment in Scotland. ➡️ Read it here www.closethegap.org.uk/content/reso...

👏 Well done to @advocard.bsky.social on achieving Development Tier accreditation for #EquallySafeAtWork. They are currently the only third sector organisation to be accredited, recognising their efforts to advancing gender equality in the workplace and preventing violence against women (VAW).

New research from our project with @savechildrensco.bsky.social reveals urgent need for systemic change to support young mothers in the Scottish labour market. Read a preview of the findings here: buff.ly/Pxpv8Ca 🔜 Full research report & recommendations coming later this year.

🎥 And that's a wrap! Close the Gap recently spent a day filming a new series of bitesize learning videos for our Equally Safe at Work programme. We can't wait to share the finished videos soon!

Today we’ve launch new research on the endemic sexism, misogyny & gender-based violence that 90% of women councillors in Scotland are experiencing. The is completely unacceptable. Find our summary and full report here - www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/ni...

Engender blog | Nine in ten women councillors have experienced sexism, misogyny or violence in Scottish local politics, our new report reveals

violence against women, vawg, scotland, councils, scottish government, womens rights, equality

engender.org.uk

Our Head of Equally Safe at Work Kelsey Smith will lead a session on 'Gender Equality and Supporting Women's Wellbeing in the Workplace' as part of National Wellbeing Week (22 - 28 June). 📅 Tuesday 23rd June, 10:00 - 10:45, online ⛓️‍💥 To register, visit buff.ly/FS6Oguj

Close the Gap condemns the racist violence, intimidation and disorder seen yesterday in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and stand in solidarity with those communities targeted by it. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Stephen Ogilvie. (1/4)

#ICYMI: All the recordings from our occupational segregation webinar series are now available on YouTube: 1. What is occupational segregation?: buff.ly/Vf6TPzP 2. Addressing occupational segregation in male-dominated sectors: buff.ly/Y25rI1Q 3. Understanding undervaluation: buff.ly/pPnPo4b

Close the Gap webinar- What is occupational segregation?

We hear from Close the Gap, Equate Scotland and Gender friendly Scotland on what occupational segregation is, why it occurs and what can be done about it.

youtube.com

We’re pleased to welcome @charityleadscot.bsky.social, NHS Fife, @scotambservice.bsky.social and Access to Industry onto our Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme. We look forward to working with these new employers to make improvements for women working in Scotland.

Congratulations to @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social on achieving bronze accreditation for Equally Safe at Work. 👏 A fantastic achievement that reflects their ongoing work to promoting gender equality.

Ahead of today's Scottish Government debate on expanding childcare, we've published a briefing calling on MSPs to urge Scot Gov to deliver four keys asks to create a fully wraparound childcare system that meets the needs of all women and their families. ➡️ Read it here: buff.ly/eH1IV8v

Last week, Close the Gap co-ordinated Feminist Governance training for trustees and board members of women's organisations in Scotland. 👏Thanks to those from Close the Gap, @engenderscot.bsky.social & @swbg.bsky.social for joining.

We're sharing a guest blog by Aneela McKenna & Dr Karla Perez Portilla, who worked with us to develop our anti-racist practice strategy. They reflect on what an intersectional, anti-racist approach demands in practice in the third sector. buff.ly/G6VbPF6

Our Executive Director, Anna Ritchie Allan, will be a guest speaker at the upcoming Holyrood Insight’s Employment Rights Act Scotland Conference. 📅 Thursday 28th May 2026, 09:30 - 15:30, COSLA Conference Centre, Edinburgh 🎟️ For tickets and more info, visit

Employment Rights Act Scotland Conference

Employment Rights Act Scotland Conference - Join us to understand the new legal requirements of the Employment Rights Act 2025

holyroodinsight.com

💡Don't miss out - only one week until our final webinar on occupational segregation. 📆 Tuesday 12th May 13:00 - 14:00, online. Topic: Exploring the undervaluation of 'women's work.' Featuring expert speakers and good practice examples. Register at events.teams.microsoft.com/event/12dbda...

This week we launched our anti-racist practice strategy for 2026 to 2029. Our Executive Director Anna Ritchie Allan writes about why this work is essential, and outlines what we're committing to and how we’re building in accountability to this work. ⬇️ Read it here:

Blog | Close the Gap launches anti-racist practice strategy for 2026 to 2029

closethegap.org.uk

Don't miss the final webinar in our special series on occupational segregation. 📆 Tue 12th May, 1pm- 2pm We'll be exploring the undervaluation of ‘women’s work', and how this underpins gendered pay inequality, occupational segregation and the gender pay gap. Register at buff.ly/rCwkOEw

We're committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation that challenges racialised hate and harm in all forms. We've launched our three-year Anti-racist Practice Strategy, which sets out how we will embed anti-racist principles across key organisational areas. Find out more: buff.ly/5IHuKXv

Will your local candidates commit to investing in women? Ahead of the election on 7 May, we need your help to call on candidates to transform women’s lives by tackling women’s deep financial insecurity head-on. 👉🏻 Head to our website now to email your candidates: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/ho...

💡Don't miss out - only one week until our second webinar on occupational segregation. 📆Tuesday 28th April, 13:00 - 14:00, online. Topic: Addressing occupational segregation in male dominated sectors. Featuring expert speakers and good practice examples. Register at buff.ly/ieiknR1

❓️ How can organisations address occupational segregation in male-dominated sectors? Join our webinar, where we'll hear from employers that have rolled out targeted approaches to increase the number of women in their male-dominated workforce. 📆 Tue 28th April, 1pm-2pm Register at: buff.ly/e5HQfEq

👏 Congratulations to NHS Education for Scotland for achieving development tier accreditation for #EquallySafeAtWork. They're the first organisation in our latest cohort to receive accreditation, demonstrating their efforts to advancing gender equality in the workplace and VAW.

The NACWG's Circle Event brought together members of the Empowering Women Panel, stakeholders and @scottishgovernment.bsky.social policymakers to reflect on Phase Two work https://www.generationequal.scot/nacwg-final-focus/ #GenderEquality #LivedExperience #NACWG

Our #EquallySafeatWork Community of Practice peer-learning network is a free and easy way for public and third sector employers to connect & work towards the same goal of advancing gender equality at work. ➡️ Find out more about it at buff.ly/ZNp1TBV ✅ Join for free at buff.ly/YTguJZo

Don't miss our second webinar in a special series on occupational segregation: 📆 Tue 28th April, 1pm - 2pm We'll be hearing from organisations who have successfully rolled out targeted approaches to increase the number of women in their male-dominated workforce. Register here: buff.ly/e5HQfEq

As Mother's Day approaches, we want to highlight our project with @savechildrensco.bsky.social, funded by @therobertsontrust.bsky.social, to create fairer workplaces for young mothers. We're wrapping up our research on their workplace experiences & employer attitudes, which we hope to share soon.