Introduction
Workplaces are often seen as neutral spaces, but in reality, they reflect and reinforce the structural inequalities that define our society. In Scotland, 70% of women have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment at work, yet the vast majority do not report it—prevented by fear of retaliation, disbelief, or organisational inaction. These experiences are not anomalies. They are symptoms of wider labour market and societal inequalities that begin long before women enter the workforce.
From an early age and throughout life, gender norms and stereotypes shape the paths women are expected to follow. Scottish time-use data shows women carry out 68% of housework and 68% of childcare—a disparity further entrenched by the COVID-19 pandemic. To manage these responsibilities, many women work part-time in sectors often referred to as the ‘five Cs’: care, cleaning, catering, cashiering (retail), and clerical work. These roles are disproportionately undervalued and insecure, with limited opportunities for progression, decision-making, or financial independence. Inflexible working practices compound these barriers, particularly for disabled women, single parents, and racially minoritised women, who are overrepresented in precarious employment and face intersecting disadvantages across the labour market.
What about the third sector?
Scotland’s third sector plays a vital role in supporting people and communities, and its personnel reflects that commitment to care and service. Women make up approximately 65% of the workforce in the third sector. However, despite its strengths, the sector continues to face challenges around fair work. In 2024, the median hourly wage in the third sector was £16.68 (£3.88 lower than both the public and private sectors) and the gender pay gap remains a concern. These issues are further intensified by longstanding structural pressures, such as funding insecurity, short-term contracts, and limited capacity. Many third sector organisations operate without dedicated HR staff, making it difficult to prioritise areas like pay reviews, progression planning, or flexible working. As a result, good equality practice is often inconsistent or lacking.
Despite these challenges, progress is both possible and already underway. Across Scotland, a growing number of third sector organisations are engaging with the Equally Safe at Work programme, with several already accredited and many more actively working towards it. Through communities of practice and shared learning, these organisations are demonstrating that advancing gender equality and improving workplace culture is not only necessary, but achievable—even within resource-constrained environments.
These structural inequalities do more than shape women’s careers—they also influence how women experience, respond to, and recover from violence against women (VAW). When women face abuse—such as domestic abuse (including coercive control), stalking, financial or economic abuse, rape and sexual assault, sexual harassment or so-called ‘honour-based’ abuse —the effects often impact their at work: diminished performance, lost income, and disrupted careers. 1 in 4 women in Scotland experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and three-quarters of those women are targeted at their workplaces. Abuse does not end when a woman leaves her home for work. For many, the workplace becomes another site of control. When employers fail to respond meaningfully to these realities, they risk becoming complicit in sustaining harm.
VAW is not just a societal issue—it is a workplace issue. Employers have a vital role to play in creating workplaces that are not only inclusive, but safe. This means developing gender-sensitive policies, providing support for victim-survivors, and actively working to dismantle the structural barriers that put women at risk. That’s why this blog is part of our ongoing work on Equally Safe at Work, an employer accreditation programme developed by Close the Gap, to support employers to advance gender equality and prevent VAW. Equally Safe at Work recognises that the workplace can be a critical site of both harm and support, and that employers have a unique opportunity to lead change.
Women are not a homogenous group
VAW does not affect all women equally, and one-size-fits-all workplace responses are not sufficient. Experiences are shaped by the intersection of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomic status. These overlapping inequalities influence how women experience abuse, exclusion, and discrimination in the workplace.
Racially minoritised women’s experiences of VAW are shaped by both racism and sexism. Their experiences of sexual harassment are often intermeshed with racial harassment, creating complex and compounding harms. 1 in 6 racially minoritised women believe that reporting VAW to their employer could make the situation worse, and many fear it would damage their relationships with colleagues. These concerns, combined with fears of not being believed or taken seriously, reflect a widespread lack of trust in workplace systems to address gendered and racialised abuse.
Disabled women, too, navigate the combined impact of sexism and ableism, which creates unique risks and barriers at work. A survey from the TUC found that 68% reported sexual harassment at work, far higher than the figure for women overall. These workplace risks mirror broader patterns of violence: research by the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) shows that women with learning disabilities are 5 to 8 times more likely to experience VAW than non-disabled women. Every woman interviewed in their study had endured multiple and repeated forms of abuse, often from people in positions of trust.
When a woman is young, old, a single parent, disabled, racially minoritised, LGBTQ+, a woman of faith or holds another marginalised identity, the barriers she faces multiply – making her more vulnerable to harm and less likely to be believed or supported. This is why workplace responses to VAW must be intersectional. Without recognising how different forms of discrimination overlap and compound, employers risk reinforcing the very inequalities they aim to address. Tackling VAW effectively means embedding gender equality—and equity—across all aspects of workplace policy, practice, and culture.
Simple steps employers can take now
Embedding gender equality and preventing VAW in the workplace requires structured, intentional action.
- Join Equally Safe at Work and take steps to create safer, more inclusive workplaces by addressing the root causes of VAW: gender inequality.
- If you are not quite ready to begin the accreditation programme, you can join our Community of Practice. This is a dynamic and supportive network where you will receive the latest updates about Equally Safe at Work and the wider work of Close the Gap including events and research.
- You can also join our KHUB page.
- Develop a dedicated VAW policy that sets out clear procedures for supporting staff, responding to disclosures, and ensuring safety.
- Collect intersectional data on reports and disclosures of VAW to gain a richer understanding of how VAW is affecting your staff and to identify any gaps in practice.
- Build capacity in line managers to support victim-survivors by providing clear guidance on how to respond appropriately, signpost support, and avoid causing further harm. Useful resources include:
- Provide training for all staff on how violence against women shows up at work and what they can do to shift workplace culture and embed gender equality at every level.
- Communicate what support mechanisms are available for victim-survivors this should include access to flexible working, referrals to specialist VAW support services such as Rape Crisis Scotland or Scottish Women’s Aid, access to an employee assistance programme, special leave or safety planning.
Helpful Resources
A powerful case study highlighting what happened when an employer got it wrong — and the lasting impact it had.
A video explaining how gender inequality is both a cause and a consequence of VAW, creating a cycle that reinforces inequality in the workplace and society at large.
Practical tools and guidance to support anti-racist practice on gender equality at work and drive meaningful change in your organisation.
A free online tool from Close the Gap to help small and medium sized organisations identify and address women’s workplace inequality, improving performance and productivity
