Scotland can become a “beacon” for women’s rights after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon rubber stamped a raft of measures aimed at delivering equality.

Ms Sturgeon has signed-off on a bold 11-point plan geared towards delivering parity for women starting from school age into adulthood.

The ambitious moves included toughening up and changing laws to stamp-out discrimination, establishing a new Gender Equality commission geared towards education and a drive to root out and change deep-seated public attitudes against women’s rights.

It comes as Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow, prepares to host 350 world experts and delegates today and over the weekend at the 28th annual Conference of the International Association for Feminist Economics at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Economists from North America, Europe, Africa, India and Australia are among those who will hear how Scotland plans to diversify to drive its economy.

Ironically, it sits as latest graduate earnings in Scotland reveals a £3000 pay gap between male and female scholars moving into work.

The First Minister has given the green light to all of the 11 proposals laid out by the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls’ in their first report, published in January.

The recommendations include the provision of two months paid paternity leave, establishing a worldleading process for complainants of sexual violence and 50 hours of free childcare a week for all children aged between six months and five years old.

Established by Ms Sturgeon in 2017, the council includes Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland’s chief medical officer, Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger and Helena Kennedy QC.

Ms Sturgeon has spearheaded a number of initiatives to address gender inequalities since taking up office in 2014, including launching a campaign to ensure women will make up half of all board members by 2020 and implementing a new strategy to tackle pay disparity.

In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to provide free sanitary pads and tampons to all schools, colleges and universities following an earlier scheme that provided sanitary wear to women from low-income households.

She said: “I am committed to making sure we drive forward improvements to gender equality in Scotland now and in the future – whether tackling violence against women and girls, challenging gender stereotypes, promoting equality within the media or highlighting best practice in the workplace.

“By accepting the council’s recommendations we will learn from best practice in Scotland and around the world and work towards Scotland being a country where everyone is treated fairly and can achieve their full potential.”

Figures published by the Scottish Government show that male graduates earn around 12 per cent more than their female counterparts in the five years after leaving Scottish universities, with men earning a median salary of £29,100 compared to the £26,000 earned by women.

NACWG’s chair, Louise Macdonald OBE, said: “When the council launched, we made a bold pledge to help design a future where gender inequality is a historical curiosity, creating a Scotland where we’re all equal.

“The adoption of these recommendations, some of which are unprecedented, is a tangible step towards this.”

A spokeswoman from Engender Scotland said: “These recognise that for gender equality to be a reality, we need to see shifts in the systems which underpin our economy, our politics, and our culture.”