Women's health plan
The Women’s Health Plan underpins actions to improve women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for girls and women, both for sex-specific conditions and in women’s general health.
Annex E - Library of resources
Women in Scotland today
1. 51% of Scotland's population are women. National Records of Scotland (2019), Mid-2018 population estimates Scotland – accessed 02 July 2021
2. Around 400,000 women in Scotland are of menopausal age (402,544 between 45 and 54). National Records of Scotland (2019), Mid-2018 population estimates Scotland – accessed 02 July 2021
3. In Scotland over a third of the female workforce is over 50. Centre for Better Ageing (2021), Work: State of Ageing in 2020 – accessed 02 July 2021
4. 61% of unpaid carers are women. Carers Week (2020), Carers Week 2020 Research Report, p.29
5. Average life expectancy at birth for a woman in Scotland is 81.1 years. National Records of Scotland (2020), Life Expectancy in Scotland, 2017-2019 – accessed 02 July 2021
6. In 2020 63% of women in Scotland were between 16 and 64, and 21% were 65 and over. National Records of Scotland (2021), Mid-year Population Estimates, 2020: Report – accessed 15 July 2021
7. In 2020 there were 46,809 live births in Scotland. National Records of Scotland (2021). Deaths up 10% as births fall to new low in 2020 – accessed 15 July 2021
8. Almost 1 in 10 deaths in women in Scotland each year are caused by ischaemic heart disease. National Records of Scotland (2019). Vital Events Reference Tables 2018 - Section 6: Deaths – Causes – accessed 02 July 2021
9. It is estimated that endometriosis affects 1.5 million (1 in 10) women in the UK of reproductive age, and it takes an average of 8.5 years to diagnose. All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) (2020), Endometriosis in the UK: time for change, APPG on Endometriosis Inquiry Report 2020, p.4 – accessed 02 July 2021
10. In the most affluent areas of Scotland, women experience 25.1 more years of good health compared to the most deprived areas. National Records Scotland (2021), Healthy Life Expectancy 2017-2019 p.5
11. In 2019 1.35 million women in Scotland were in employment. Scottish Government (2019), Scotland's Labour Market: People, Places, and Regions - Statistics from the Annual Population Survey 2019 – accessed 02 July 2021
12. Women's life expectancy at birth in the most deprived areas is 75.6 years compared to 85.6 years in the least deprived areas. National Records of Scotland (2020), Life Expectancy in Scotland, 2017-2019 – accessed 02 July 2021
13. In 2020 13,815 terminations of pregnancy were recorded in Scotland (13.4 per 1000 women aged 15-44). Public Health Scotland (2020) Termination of pregnancy statistics Year ending December 2020, accessed 02 July 2021
14. Heart disease is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK. Knight M, Bunch K, Tuffnell D, Shakespeare J, Kotnis R, Kenyon S, Kurinczuk JJ (Eds.) on behalf of MBRRACE-UK. University of Oxford (2019), – accessed 02 July 2021. Saving Lives, Improving Mothers' Care - Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2015-17. Oxford: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit,
15. In 2019-20 around 400 women were in prison in Scotland on an average day. Scottish Government (2020), Scottish prison population: statistics 2019 to 2020
16. In Scotland, women aged under 25 are the group most at risk of being diagnosed with an STI. NHS National Services Scotland. (2019), Surveillance report Genital chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection in Scotland: laboratory diagnoses 2009 – 2018, p.1 – accessed 02 July 2021
17. Over three quarters of the overall NHSScotland workforce are women. Public Health Scotland (2020) Workforce Dashboards, Health Topics
18. The average age at which a woman will reach menopause is 51. NHS (2019), Menopause
19. Women make up an estimated 83% of the social care workforce in Scotland. Scottish Government (2021), Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland, p.80
20. 37% of women in Scotland report living with a limiting long-term condition or disability Scottish Government, Scottish Health Survey 2019 - volume 1: main report, p.33
21. In 2020 the termination rate was 2.2 times higher in the most deprived areas compared to least deprived areas. Public Health Scotland (2021), Termination of pregnancy statistics - Year ending December 2020 - accessed 02 July 2021
22. Part-time employment accounts for 41.2 per cent of all women's employment compared with 12.4 per cent of all men's employment. Scottish Government (2020) Scotland's Labour Market: People, Places, and Regions - Statistics from the Annual Population Survey 2019, p.18 – accessed 02 July 2021
23. 12 is the average age at which a woman has her first period. NHS (2019) Starting your period – accessed 02 July 2021
24. Death from stroke is more common for women than men. NHS National Services Scotland, Scottish Stroke Statistics, Year ending 31 March 2018, p.3 – accessed 02 July 2021
25. On average, the life expectancy of women with a learning disability is 18 years shorter than for women in the general population. MENCAP. (2020) Learning Disability - Health Inequalities Research – accessed 02 July 2021
26. It is estimated that there are currently 300,000 people in Scotland living with osteoporosis, a condition which is more common in women than men. NHS, (2020) NHSGGC : World-leading bone health consultant receives top accolade – accessed 02 July 2021
Contact
Email: womenshealthplan@gov.scot
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