Large firms have until today to report their annual gender pay gap figures and campaigners say little is changing for women in Scotland.

Close the Gap is demanding action form employers.

Firms with more than 250 staff are obliged to report their figures for the difference between average earnings for men and women.

It is the second year in which the figures are required to be published.

Fewer women in senior positions is leading to companies having a gender pay gap and the campaign group is seeking change.

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, said: “It’s possible to shift the needle on the gender pay gap, but it requires companies to understand why they’ve got a pay gap and then take steps that will create change.

“We’re increasingly seeing companies citing the lack of women in senior roles as a justification for their gender pay gap, but it’s just as important to look at women’s clustering in lower-paid stereotypically female jobs.

“Equally important is pay itself. It’s very easy for gender bias to creep into pay systems, and without doing an equal pay review it’s very difficult for a company to be certain that they’re paying men and women fairly.”

Close the Gap said it welcomed the pay transparency measures as first step in addressing the systemic inequality women face at work, but said the fundamental weakness is that companies aren’t required to take action that will close their pay gap.

Ms Ritchie added: “We know from the experience of the Scotland’s public sector that reporting alone doesn’t create change. The challenge for companies is to decide whether to be sector leaders and demonstrate their commitment to gender equality, or to risk reputational damage by doing nothing.”