ADDRESSING the “gender pay gap” is an equalities issue according to some. To others, it is simply a myth. Some suggest it is the result of a woman’s choice to have children. But the economy, jobs and fair work committee at the Scottish Parliament wants to look at the economics surrounding the issue.

The gender pay gap is different to the issue of whether women are paid less than men for doing the same job. That has long been unlawful under the Equal Pay Act that came into force in 1970.

The gender pay gap relates to the difference in women’s pay compared with men’s, or vice-versa, and encompasses such factors as the so-called “motherhood penalty”, part-time work and the lack of women in senior positions.

On one view, based on UK Government figures, equalisation of women’s productivity could add almost £600 billion to the economy, whilst if 2.2 million women who want to work could find suitable jobs, 10 per cent could be added to the size of the economy by 2030.

The UK Government has been taking action on this issue. David Cameron when prime minister announced the mandatory disclosure of gender pay gaps during his term of office.

Theresa May, his successor, used her first speech in office to state her own commitment to tackling the issue. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also expressed her commitment to continuing the progress of recent years.

From April, UK employers with more than 250 employees will need to carry out an initial data gathering exercise and, within a year, publish their pay-gap information. Placing responsibility on business to address the gender pay gap can be important.

It can increase transparency and give a better picture of the scale of the problem. We want to look at how this, together with other measures, could potentially help close the gap. Legislation is important but can be ineffective without a change in the public mindset.

Jeanette Forbes’s story is but one example of how a Scottish woman overcame the gender pay gap. She is chief executive and founder of PCL Group, an Aberdeenshire-based cabling and IT service provider to the energy sectors.

But an early experience of the gender pay gap could have stalled her high-flying career before take-off.

Ms Forbes did the same IT job as her male colleague but earned half of his pay: £12,000 a year to his £26,000. Her employers cited her lack of a qualification as the reason. She responded by studying part-time at night school for a degree, with a day that began at 4am so that she could juggle study, work and childcare.

Even after gaining her qualification and with six years’ experience, her employer refused to pay her the same as her colleague.

She was told that she did not have the experience of doing the job with the certificate. She wondered: was the real reason for refusing equal pay simply because she was a woman?

Fortunately, her story ended in success, not just for her but for Scotland’s economy. She founded her own global organisation and became an employer herself.

Not every story is a success, however. Nearly 50 years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, women working full-time in Scotland are still earning on average 6.2 per cent less than men, according to a recent report.

The largest pay gaps are found in skilled trades and management, with finance and insurance the service sector with the highest pay gap, at 29.9 per cent. This is a sector where 51 per cent of employees are women.

What is the economic impact of these factors? What are the consequences not only for employees but also for employers and the wider Scottish economy? What could the benefits be for everyone if the gender pay gap were to be eliminated?

These are some of the questions that the committee will be looking at over the coming months. It will produce a report on its findings, including recommendations, in July.

Could this inquiry help change minds? The public sector might be key to this as a model of recent progress, or indeed to provide examples of changes that have not had the positive effect intended.

The Scottish Government has said it is looking at “fair work” but the committee is interested in what this means in practice and how it can be achieved for real lives on the ground.

We want to hear from companies that have closed the gender pay gap and have seen positive results.

We want to hear from individuals with positive stories of how their employment has changed for the better. Could best practice be introduced on a wider scale?

If closing the gender pay gap could significantly boost Scotland’s economy, then everyone stands to gain. Let’s get to work.

Gordon Lindhurst is convener of the Scottish Parliament’s economy, fair work and jobs committee