Scottish domestic abuse charity advertises female-only job to men

A domestic violence charity in Scotland is under fire for allowing men to apply for a “women-only” role.

In a job advert for a new Head of Policy, Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) explained that it will only accept applications from women but that this includes “women with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment”.

Earlier this year, Dundee Women’s Aid U-turned after it came under similar criticism for advertising a Women’s Support Domestic Abuse Practitioner to “all applicants who identify as women”.

‘Inexcusable’

Clare Blom of Women Won’t Wheesht commented: “It is unconscionable that SWA – yet another organisation funded by the Scottish Government – have learnt nothing from their colleagues in Dundee and are gaslighting and lying to their service users by pretending that only women are employed in their ‘women-only’ roles.

“We are deeply disappointed by this wanton disregard for women’s privacy, safety and dignity, not to mention their profound lack of understanding of anti-discriminatory legislation.”

Executive Director of Sex Matters Maya Forstater agreed, calling it “inexcusable” that the SWA are putting the “feelings of men with trans identities before the needs of vulnerable women”.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission recently clarified that organisations cannot recruit men who self-identify as women for female-only roles, but it can hire those who have changed their legal sex.

Investigation

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre’s Chief Executive recently stepped down after an independent review found that the centre had failed to protect female-only spaces.

Mridul Wadhwa, a man who identifies as a woman, was placed on leave in May when an Employment Tribunal vindicated former support worker Roz Adams. The employee was subjected to a misconduct investigation after asking if a ‘non-binary’ staff member was a “man or a woman”.

Wadhwa has now officially resigned, after a review commissioned in response to the Employment Tribunal determined that he “did not understand the limits” of his authority, and that the centre failed to protect female-only spaces and respect those with gender-critical beliefs.