A commission on tackling gender inequality should be set up to drive improvements in the Scottish education system right from the early years, experts have recommended.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls recommends creating an institute to change public attitudes, including how to break down stereotypes of what girls and women should study and work as.

Council chairwoman Louise Macdonald said change would only happen “if we all step up and call out institutional inequality where we see it”.

The recommended Commission on Gender Equality in Education and Learning would examine schooling from early years to secondary.

This would cover teacher training, school behaviour and culture, the curriculum and professional learning.

The council, which was set up in 2017, recommends that the commission is independent of bodies such as Education Scotland and wants it to create a national strategy to provide “safe and nurturing gender-neutral education and learning in all settings”.

Ms Macdonald said: “We know from the growth of global movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp that there is a real appetite for radical change for equality for women and girls.

“The first minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls’ vision is for Scotland to be recognised as a leading nation in the pursuit of gender equality.”

She added: “We all have a part to play in creating a more inclusive society and in these recommendations we have focused on tackling changes in the systems that too often perpetuate inequality.

“We must listen and let the voices of those who experience inequality every day be heard. And we cannot be complacent.

“Change will only happen if we all step up and call out institutional inequality where we see it - which will benefit everyone in Scottish society.”