For many women in Scotland, waged poverty is a reality. The majority of low paid workers are women. Because many part time jobs are so badly paid, only women living with partners who are working can afford to take these jobs. 48,000 working age households in Glasgow have no employed adults and a third of the city's children Causes of waged poverty One of the main causes of waged poverty is job segregation.
New jobs tend to be part time low paid and in the service sector.
The causes are of course inter-related and include strong attitudes about suitable jobs for men and women. Women are adapting to the changing labour market but are gaining little in terms of pay and status, while many men find that their skills have become obsolete. Low paid and low skilled jobs tend to have poor employment conditions, with few opportunities for training which might open up prospects for better jobs. Choices are limited by lack of affordable child care, which is more expensive than anywhere else in Europe. Another related issue is the high cost of transport especially from peripheral housing estates and rural areas.