Ministers boast majority female appointments to public boards

More women than men were appointed to the boards of regulated public bodies for the first time in 2015, the Scottish Government has announced.

Last year 54% of all appointees were female, marking progress towards the Government’s Partnership for Change 50/50 by 2020 campaign. A number of public bodies have already achieved gender balance.

Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Roseanna Cunningham, commented: “In an historic first for Scotland, more women than men were appointed – on merit – by ministers to the boards of public bodies in 2015. This is great news for equality and for making Scotland fairer.

She added: “While this marks significant progress, we are not complacent as there is significant work still to do. We will continue to try and make sure that all of our public bodies that have a key role to play in our society are as representative and diverse as possible.

“We are committed to making sure that Scotland has no ceiling for ambition and talent and that we create opportunities for all to flourish.”

The Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland, Bill Thomson, said: “I welcome the progress being made towards gender equality in public appointments. Whilst there are clearly still challenges to be met, the figures for 2015 suggest that changes in appointment practices are beginning to have a positive effect on board diversity.”