WITH the right to vote, equal pay, the contraceptive pill and access to childcare, it seems the battle for female equality has been won. But one bastion of male dominance persists: In Scotland's local authorities, female councillors are still vastly outnumbered by their male colleagues.
Even fewer woman have made it to the upper echelons of the public sector, into senior executive roles. Of the 32 councils in Scotland, just four are run by female chief executives. This is despite a recent survey of small and medium businesses, revea
ling that female bosses outperformed men last year.
The report, by the Small Business Research Trust, in partnership with the Forum of Private Business, showed 44 per cent of companies led by women recorded sales growth 7 per cent above average.
So why do woman still struggle to break through to the upper echelons of power, and particularly so in public service?
Scotland's newest female chief executive, Lorraine McMillan, says it never crossed her mind that she was joining an exclusive club.
Currently chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire, McMillan will become only the fifth female chief executive of a Scottish council when she replaces East Renfrewshire's David Dippie, who retires in April.
She says: "I must admit when I went for the job I didn't think of that at all. I suppose the reason for that is my background."
McMillan, now 46, studied physics at Glasgow University and found herself one of just two women in a class of 30 men.
"I'm quite used to working in environments where gender doesn't actually matter so I must admit I don't really regard it as an issue," she says.
"I went for the job because I knew I could do it and was really enthusiastic about it. When I became a chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire in 1999, there were actually very few women chief executives at that point, and now there's a lot of women in senior positions at Scottish Enterprise. It's really just a matter of time as women gradually take more senior positions and go through the ranks in all organisations, both private and public."
Born in Johnstone and raised in Paisley, McMillan attended the former St Margaret's High School and graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in physics in 1982. She worked for Glasgow-based scientific instrument maker Barr & Stroud, gained an master of business administration (MBA) degree from Strathclyde University and joined the former Scottish Development Agency in Glasgow in 1989.
In 1996, she joined Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire, where she became a director before her move to the top job at Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire.
So why does she believe so few women have made it to positions of power?
She says: "In my working life I've seen a huge difference in the number of women reaching senior positions.
"Certainly in the public sector, there are increasing numbers of women. If you look round the ranks of directors in councils you'll find quite a lot of women so it's just a matter of time before they move into chief executive positions."
She believes society has changed and says it never occurred to her to consider she was entering a position held by so few women.
"I've never perceived local authorities as being masculine environments," she says.
"When I went for the job I hadn't actually calculated the number of women chief executives. I knew of one or two so it didn't dawn on me about the numbers.
"If you look at private sector by and large the chief executives are men. But the numbers of women are increasing so I think it's a society issue rather than an issue with local authorities.
"Most of the public sector has actually been pretty good in promoting the equality agenda."
Coming from a scientific background, McMillan says, she is used to sitting in rooms dominated by men.
"In my very early career there was surprise at a women coming into a meeting but in the past ten years I certainly haven't had any feeling I am being treated differently because I am a woman.
"When you go into a meeting, gender doesn't matter."
She accepts she is a likely role model for new generations of young women ready to wrest power.
"I am quite confident that as we see more women going into senior positions, young women will see there are more opportunities and that there are no barriers," she says. "I have always been keen to work with younger women and hope they, and young men, will consider a wide range of careers and not be confined by their gender."
Her advice to ambitious women is to believe in themselves and to have confidence in what they can do.
"There is some research I saw that suggests women don't go for senior positions because they lack confidence rather than ability," she says.
"My advice would be give it a try. If you can do a job, go for it and be confident in that. Most of the young women I meet are confident in their ability."
McMillan, who lives in Bearsden, is married with a teenage son and daughter, with whom she makes sure to spend time. She firmly believes it is possible for women to have both career and family.
"Both men and women I talk to value and realise their importance as a carer. So many of the men I know, including my husband, take that really seriously," she says.
"Each family unit has to decide what is right for them. It is up to the couple to manage those responsibilities.
"We have to work towards a society which values both roles. Some people will choose to be full-time carers and we should not put any restriction on anyone who wishes to pursue a career."
Councillor Jim Fletcher, the current East Renfrewshire Council leader, says: "I welcome Lorraine to East Renfrewshire where her enthusiasm and mixture of public and private sector experience, as well as her clear commitment to public service, will stand the council in good stead."
McMillan will take up her new role at the East Renfrewshire Council from early April, and will join four other female incumbents of the chief executive's office: Bernadette Malone at Perth and Kinross; Fiona Lees at East Ayrshire; Sue Bruce at East Dunbartonshire; and Mary Pitcaithly at Falkirk.
The full article contains 1067 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
