Minority ethnic women's experiences in Scotland 2024: intersectional evidence review

Footnotes

1 Comparisons between ethnic groups have been made based on the data and evidence available at the time of this report.

2 Comparison group was all respondents who identified as white and female (including Scottish, Irish, Other British, Polish, Gypsy/Traveller, Roma, Showman/Showwoman, and any other white ethnic group) for those with highest qualification above SVQ level 4. Other non-intersectional evidence shows that a higher percentage of females (compared to males) and minority ethnic groups (compared to white Scottish and white non-Scottish groups) leave school with one or more qualification at SCQF Level 6.

3 Lack of representation of women and minority ethnic groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) when compared to men and those from white ethnic groups.

4 Lower median hourly pay for employed minority ethnic women (compared to white women) and higher pay disparities for first-degree female graduates from ‘non-white backgrounds (compared to females from white backgrounds and males from white and non-white backgrounds)

5 This includes higher rates of economic inactivity for black and minority ethnic groups and women (compared to white ethnic groups and men); lower employment rates for minority ethnic women (compared to minority ethnic men); increased likelihood of occupational segregation; and lack of representation or experience of discrimination in specific employment sectors such as teaching, STEM, and retail. Qualitative evidence referenced throughout the chapter indicates various experiences in employment for minority ethnic women.

6 Comparisons vary across ethnic groups.

7 Comparisons made to white men and women.

8 Minority ethnic women compared to respondents overall in survey for experiences of cost-of-living.

9 Including white ethnic groups but comparisons vary across this chapter.

10 The SHS asks respondents what their ethnic group is. In the survey the ethnic groups white Scottish and white other British are collected as two distinct ethnicity categories. The intersectional SHS analysis produced for this report aggregated these responses to create a white Scottish or British category.

11 Comparisons between groups vary across this chapter.

12 Specific minority ethnic groups are explored through evidence in this chapter.

13 Comparisons between ethnic groups have been made based on the data and evidence available at the time of this report.

14 Please see linked publication for further details: Footnotes - Using intersectionality to understand structural inequality in Scotland: evidence synthesis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

15 The Census refers to all ethnic groups other than white Scottish and white British as a minority ethnic group. The Census 2022 also added the ethnic group options ‘Roma’ and ‘Showman/Showwoman’, which were not available in the Census 2011.

16 This is the sum of all female pupils with the following ethnicities: White Irish, White Polish, White Gypsy/Traveller, White Other, Mixed, Asian Indian, Asian Pakistani, Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Chinese, Asian Other, Caribbean/Black – Scottish/Black, Caribbean/Black – Other, African – Scottish/British, African – Other, Arab, and Other.

17 This Evidence Review recognises that attendance in schools among Gypsy/Traveller pupils is generally low. Please see Improving educational outcomes for children and young people from travelling cultures: guidance for more details.

18 The SSCQ is an annual Official Statistics publication which harmonises responses from the three major Scottish Government household surveys, namely the Scottish Household Survey, the Scottish Health Survey and the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey.

19 This includes respondents who identified as female and Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, Asian: Pakistani, Asian: Indian, Asian: Bangladeshi, Asian: Chinese, Asian: Any other Asian ethnic group, African, Caribbean or Black, Other Ethnic Groups: Arab, Other Ethnic Groups: Any other ethnic group.

20 This includes respondents who identified as female and White: Scottish, White: Irish, White: Other British, White: Polish, White: Gypsy/Traveller, White: Roma, White: Showman/Showwoman, White: Any other white ethnic group.

21 This includes respondents who identified as male and White: Scottish, White: Irish, White: Other British, White: Polish, White: Gypsy/Traveller, White: Roma, White: Showman/Showwoman, White: Any other white ethnic group.

22 This includes respondents who identified as male and Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, Asian: Pakistani, Asian: Indian, Asian: Bangladeshi, Asian: Chinese, Asian: Any other Asian ethnic group, African, Caribbean or Black, Other Ethnic Groups: Arab, Other Ethnic Groups: Any other ethnic group.

23 At SVQ level 4, 13.4% of white female respondents and 13.7% of white male respondents, 8.5% of minority ethnic female respondents and 9.8% of minority ethnic male respondents; at SVQ level 3 ,15.4% of white female respondents and 17.3% of white male respondents, 11.3% of minority ethnic female respondents and 12.4% of minority ethnic male respondents; and at SVQ level 1 or 2, 17.5% of white female respondents and 18.9% of white male respondents, 9.5% of minority ethnic female respondents and 10.6% of minority ethnic male respondents.

24 This could be a Scottish Higher, SVQ, foundation or modern apprenticeship, or work in the community or other workplace setting. More information can be found at the SCQF website: Level 6 - Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (scqf.org.uk)

25 This includes mixed or multiple ethnic groups, Asian – Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, and other, African/black/Caribbean and all other categories. Not disclosed/not known were the lowest percentage at 63.8%.

26 This study examines only three STEM undergraduate minority ethnic women in an English University across three years, therefore may not be representative of experiences across the UK or specifically in Scotland.

27 This includes White Irish, White Gypsy/Traveller, White Polish, White Roma, White Showwoman, White other, mixed or multiple ethnic groups, Asian Pakistani, Asian Indian, Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Chinese, Asian other, Arab, African, Caribbean or black, and any other ethnic group.

28 The SHS asks respondents what their ethnic group is. In the survey the ethnic groups white Scottish and white other British are collected as two distinct ethnicity categories. The intersectional SHS analysis produced for this report aggregated these responses to create a white Scottish/British category.

29 Also see: SG Fair Work Framework (The Fair Work Framework - The Fair Work Convention) and associated Fair Work Evidence Plan (Fair Work action plan: evidence plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot))

30 The report shows that 31% of respondents were Pakistani, 14% African, and 12% mixed background. Other race/ethnic group breakdowns can be found on page 44 of the Close the Gap report. This report drew from information gathered during focus groups (23 participants) and an online survey (127 participants) both sourced through Close the Gap networks, so may not be representative of all minority ethnic women in Scotland.

31 The research chose to focus on the experiences of minority ethnic women only, so did not compare these findings to that of white men, white women, or other minority ethnic men

32 Statistical sources and years vary across the Close the Gap publication.

33 23 participants for focus groups and 127 respondents to an online survey.

34 "Minority Ethnic" in this case describes all ethnic groups excluding those who self-identified as "White". "White" includes ethnic groups such as "White – Polish" and "White – Gypsy or Irish Traveller", however these groups may also suffer disadvantages in the labour market.

35 Economic inactivity measures those who are neither in work, available for work or actively seeking work.

36 Employment rates are based on people aged 16 to 64 years who did one hour or more of paid work per week and those who had a job that they were temporarily away from.

37 Found in supporting table 12.

38 Employment measures the number of people who did at least one hour of paid work or had a job they were temporarily away from.

39 This includes “Mixed or Multiple”; “Asian”; “African”; “Caribbean or Black”; “Arab”, and “Other ethnic groups”. It describes all ethnic groups excluding those who answered “White”.

40 “White” includes ethnic groups such as “White – Polish” and “White – Gypsy or Irish Traveller”. These ethnic groups may also suffer labour market disadvantages.

41 "Minority Ethnic" includes “Mixed or Multiple”; “Asian”; “African”; “Caribbean or Black”; “Arab”, and “Other ethnic groups”. It describes all ethnic groups excluding those who answered “White” to the survey question.

42 “White” includes ethnic groups such as “White – Polish” and “White – Gypsy or Irish Traveller”. These ethnic groups may also suffer labour market disadvantages.

43 Contractually secure employment is defined as employees aged 16 and above who have a permanent contract. National Performance Framework indicator - Measuring progress - Fair Work and Business | National Performance Framework

44 This survey refers to respondents as BME (Black and minority ethnic). In addition, this survey has a small sample size (23 self-selected participants for the focus group and 127 participants for an online survey disseminated through chosen networks) and is not representative of all BME women in Scotland.

45 Note: this report states that ethnicity is defined as ‘ethnic-led’ or non-ethnic led’ and does not disclose the groups within these categories. The report suggests that “Further work is required to fully understand and interpret this data as it is a broad grouping and masks the experiences of different ethnic and cultural community groups.”

46 This research is drawn from a wider study of the experiences of ten Black women educators, however the cited paper in this report explores the personal stories of four Black women educators at different stages of their career. These women were recruited through mutual contacts to the researcher.

47 13 women in the focus groups and 411 in an online survey. Participants were advertised through a variety of different networks known to the researchers.

48 The analysis for this research focuses on a small sample size (12 women) all working in one “large, British retail company” so may not be representative of all minority ethnic women working in retail across the UK or specifically in Scotland.

50 Some limitations and considerations of this study were previously highlighted on page 22.

51 Age, education, marital status, nativity, disability, and region.

52 A person is in relative poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the current UK median.

53 This data is based on the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Households Below Average Income dataset, which is produced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

54 Data, including disaggregated data for different ethnic minority groups, is not available due to small sample sizes and methodological weighting required for large population surveys.

55 This includes White Irish, White Gypsy/Traveller, White Polish, White Roma, White Showwoman, White other, mixed or multiple ethnic groups, Asian Pakistani, Asian Indian, Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Chinese, Asian other, Arab, African, Caribbean or black, and any other ethnic group.

56 Respondents selected from responses ’managing well’, ’getting by alright’, and ’not managing well’.

57 Research based on online survey results from 3,280 respondents (448 BAME women, 401 BAME men, and 1,308 white women). The authors of this report then weighted the data to the current Labour Force Survey on age, gender, region, and education for each population, and conducted analysis.

58 In total, 871 women from all 32 local authorities in Scotland took part in SWBG Women’s Survey from February to March 2023. Of these respondents, 3% were from minority ethnic communities and 2% from mixed or multiple ethnic groups. 58% of respondents were ’Scottish’ and 28% ’British’, however the research does not outline the ethnic grouping of these nationalities.

59 Note that 3% of women who responded were from a minority ethnic community and 2% were from a mixed or multiple ethnic group. This small sample size must be kept in mind when reviewing the survey findings.

60 This includes Mixed or Multiple Ethnic groups, Asian: Pakistani, Asian: Indian, Asian: Bangladeshi, Asian: Chinese, Asian: Any other Asian ethnic group, African, Caribbean or Black, Other Ethnic Groups: Arab, Other Ethnic Groups: Any other ethnic group.

61 This includes White: Scottish, White: Irish, White: Other British, White: Polish, White: Gypsy/Traveller, White: Roma, White: Showman/Showwoman, White: Any other white ethnic group.

62 More information on how the Scottish Surveys Core Questions uses the WEMWBS to measure mental health can be read here: 1.8 Mental Wellbeing Scoring - Scottish Surveys Core Questions 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

63 This study was based on Britian during the Covid-19 pandemic surveying 14,221 participants across a range of ethnic groups.

64 This includes White Irish, White Gypsy/Traveller, White Polish, White Roma, White Showwoman, White other, mixed or multiple ethnic groups, Asian Pakistani, Asian Indian, Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Chinese, Asian other, Arab, African, Caribbean or black, and any other ethnic group.

65 Minority ethnic women made up 1.55% (2 of 129) of all Members of Scottish Parliament (as at 6 May 2021) and they made up 6.7% of Scotland's population in the Census 2022. Minority ethnic men made up 3.1% (4 of 129) of all Members of Scottish Parliament (as at 6 May 2021) and they made up 6.2% of Scotland's population in the Census 2022.

66 This is an area outlined in the Gender Equality Index – Social sub-domain.

67 This includes mixed or multiple ethnic group, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Other Asian, African, Caribbean or Black, Arab, Other Background.

68 This includes White Scottish, White Other British, White Irish, Gypsy/Traveller, Polish, Roma, Showman/Showwoman, any Other White Ethnic Group.

69 This includes Any mixed or multiple ethnic group, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Other Asian, African, Caribbean or Black, Arab, Other Background.

70 This includes White Scottish, White Other British, White Irish, Gypsy/Traveller, Polish, Roma, Showman/Showwoman, Any Other White Ethnic Group.

71 This includes White Irish, White Gypsy/Traveller, White Polish, White Roma, White Showwoman, White other, mixed or multiple ethnic groups, Asian Pakistani, Asian Indian, Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Chinese, Asian other, Arab, African, Caribbean or black, and any other ethnic group.

72 Not all findings are present in the discussion of this report.

73 by Aisha Gill (see paper for details)

74 Research papers by Sundari Anitha between 2008-2011

75 This research is based on 13 interviews, 21 survey respondents and 59 workshop attendees – overall, 93 Muslim and BME women participants.

76 According to the paper, predicted probabilities were calculated using logistic regression models. The authors explain that: "While [predicted probabilities] can be interpreted in a similar way to regular probabilities (i.e. as percentages or proportions), predicted probabilities are calculated from models which also take into account – i.e. they control statistically for - how other important factors may be affecting the outcome of interest. Examples of variables controlled for in these models include household income, maternal social class, age and education, ethnicity, number of children in the home, children’s sex and more."

77 The census outputs release schedule can be found here: Census outputs schedule | Scotland's Census (scotlandscensus.gov.uk), but alternatives should be considered as Census is only published every 10 years and is thus, not always a timely or reliable source for more immediate policymaking priorities.

78 Small samples sizes can introduce sampling bias and reduce the level of confidence in estimates because the information available is less likely to be fully representative of the population it is trying to measure.

79 UK Government has made recommendations about this specifically on ethnicity data. Standards for ethnicity data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Aggregating to improve ethnicity data quality - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).