WOMEN make up two-thirds of those Scots earning less than a living wage, according to analysis from Scottish Labour published today.

Scottish government data revealed that 297,000 women in Scotland — 24 per cent of all working women — earned less than the living wage in 2016. The equivalent figure for working men was 15.4 per cent.

There are almost half a million people in Scotland earning less than the living wage, currently £8.45 an hour across Britain and £9.45 in London, calculated by the Living Wage Foundation based on what workers and their families need to live on.

Shadow Scottish secretary Lesley Laird MP said that while the gender pay gap for those at the top had grabbed headlines after the BBC payroll was exposed, “pay inequality continues to impact millions of people across the country.”

Ms Laird said: “Not only are women paid less than men — and with more barriers to progression — but hundreds of thousands in Scotland are paid less than the living wage.”

She said a Labour government would tackle the gender pay gap with a £10-an-hour minimum wage and ensure companies comply with gender pay auditing and gender equality legislation.

Scottish TUC assistant secretary Ann Henderson said the Scottish Parliament figures “show the extent of poverty pay in Scotland today.”

Ms Henderson said it was “unacceptable that so many workers, particularly women, are undervalued and underpaid.”

She said that “fair work must mean a fair wage” and called on the Scottish government and employers to address this issue as a matter of urgency.