Women's health plan: interim progress update 2023

Gender and Health

Experiences of discrimination and the impact on health - research findings

• A two-phase research project was carried out to build an evidence base on women's health inequalities in Scotland.
• Dr Laura Tinner at the University of Bristol was recruited through the Economic and Social Research Council’s policy fellowship scheme to carry out research to explore and understand experiences of discrimination among women in Scotland and the impact those experiences have on women's health. An intersectional approach, which is the idea that different aspects of a person's identity (e.g. age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, social class, etc) overlap to form their unique experience, was used as a theoretical and analytical framework for this study.
• Published on 27 June 2023, the report examines the current evidence base on women's health inequalities and reports on a two-phase research project. Women in the research described being discriminated against in multiple ways and through cultural, institutional and interpersonal levels. Participants described how discrimination has the potential to impact on their health. The findings in this project contribute to the evidence base on women's health inequalities, discrimination and young women through in-depth exploration of women in Scotland's intersectional experiences.

Equally Safe at Work

• Close the Gap’s employer accreditation programme, Equally Safe At Work, continues to be piloted across Public Health Scotland, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
• The Equally Safe at Work NHS advisory group meet on a quarterly basis and receive regular updates from Close the Gap on the progress of the programme.