Nicola Sturgeon: 'Tories need to take a long, hard look at themselves when it comes to gender balance'

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during First Minister's Questions at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. (Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

NICOLA STURGEON derided the Conservatives’ record on gender equality during Thursday’s First Minister’s questions, saying they had ‘an awful lot to do.’

Her comments came after Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst asked what the Scottish Government was doing to help men suffering from a gender pay gap.

The discussion followed the publication of a report by the parliament’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee on the difference between male and female earnings.

Mr Lindhurst, the committee’s convener, said MSPs had heard “evidence that in some areas men suffer from a gender pay gap in relation to women”.

He said: “While this may be less of a problem than that affecting women, what steps is the Scottish Government taking to ensure a balanced approach which addresses the issue where it does affect men?”

In response, Nicola Sturgeon said: “I think currently (Scottish Conservative leader) Ruth Davidson is slowly sliding under that desk in front of her.

“The whole essence of equality is that men and women are treated equally, so, yes, in the spirit of consensus I kind of accept the underlying premise of the question.

“But anybody who can look at the problem of the gender pay gap right now or the gender inequalities that exist in other parts of our society and conclude that the problem is we’ve got to do more to help men rather than women, I think kind of misses the whole point here and probably just underlines the fact that the Tories have got an awful lot to do here.”

Referring to the frontbench reshuffle carried out by Ms Davidson on Wednesday, she added: “I looked at the detail of the shadow cabinet reshuffle that happened yesterday and I may not be getting the figures absolutely right here, but in around something like 30 appointments there were only five women in that.

“That’s shocking and I think rather than come up with convoluted questions like that the Tories really need to go away and take a long hard look at themselves when it comes to gender balance.”