Engender blog
All of Engender’s latest news. Reports, reviews, books, articles, and information from across Scotland’s women’s sector.
We would love to hear from other feminists around Scotland. Check out our guidelines for more information on how you can blog for us.
Smash the Patriarchy, Save the Planet
As people around the world prepare to go on #ClimateStrike tomorrow, Engender's Communications and Engagement Manager, Alys Mumford, writes about why feminists should take action on climate change.
Climate change is a feminist issue. Just as we strive to include intersectional analysis in all of our work for women’s equality, we must recognise that climate change is an issue which disproportionately affects women around the world. Within this, as with so many issues of women’s inequality, it is poorer women, women of colour, carers, disabled women, and other marginalised women who are easier to ignore by decision-makers, and who will bear the brunt of the extreme weather, conflict, forced migration, increased illness, and resource shortages.
Can foreign policy ever be truly feminist?
Margot Wallström certainly believes it can, and proudly declared she was setting Sweden on the path to a ‘feminist foreign policy’ in 2014.
Despite this, her resignation announcement last week, after 5 years as Sweden’s foreign minister, didn’t mention her feminism and instead described her role as ‘promoting Sweden's security and prosperity in the world’. In reality this has meant a focus on arms exports and a regressive migration policy. Both things you would be hard-pressed to describe as feminist, but her description misses out her other work on sexual violence, on nuclear disarmament, and in defence of women’s rights.
Surrogacy in Scotland
Unless you have personal experience of it, surrogacy may well be something you've not thought much about outwith Kim Kardashian-West, Tom Daley, and season 5 of Friends.
In Scotland, surrogacy is legal but cannot be advertised or paid for (although expenses can be offered). The woman who gives birth automatically becomes the legal parent of the child and, if they are married, their spouse becomes the other legal parent. If surrogacy isn't an issue you've given much attention to before, just reading those two sentences have probably sparked questions in your head - what counts as expenses? What happens if someone changes their minds? What are the legal rights of everyone involved?
Then there are broader questions to consider. Should women be able to charge for reproductive labour? Does anyone have the right to have a child? How do we balance bodily autonomy with protection from exploitation?
Guest Post: Why we must support women to make their own contraceptive choices
Alison Scott is a sexual health consultant with a focus on socially excluded women and chair of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (Scotland). Here, she continues our blog series looking at Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) and why choice must be at the heart of women’s reproductive healthcare.
Having trained in obstetrics and gynaecology, I made the decision to move into sexual health around 18 years ago. My boss in sexual health at the time (a formidable force of nature who thought nothing of asking me if my fourth pregnancy had been planned!) was also a woman who had no tolerance of fools but advocated for those who she felt had no voice. At one of our first clinics, we were discussing contraceptive options. She gave me a phrase which I have stolen and used repeatedly when teaching others. “If she doesn’t choose it, she won’t use it”.
Protecting Scotland's Future: Programme for Government 2019-2020
Yesterday the First Minister introduced the Programme for Government 2019-2020, setting out the planned legislative programme for the coming year. As usual, we've produced a 'gender edit' of the Programme for Government, pulling out the announcements which relate to the women and girls' equality in Scotland, and here Engender's Policy and Parliamentary Manager Eilidh Dickson offers some analysis of what it all means for the coming year.
Nobody could be blamed this week for their head being turned to Westminster, as MPs attempted to take back control of the Brexit Process, or even to the Court of Session where legal arguments raged concerning the planned prorogation of Parliament. In fact, the Scottish Parliament proved a reminder of normality amongst the fray, a bubble of policy focus as MSPs mentioned the constitution only briefly before returning to education, health, the economy and, significantly, the climate
RSSDownloads
Engender Briefing: Pension Credit Entitlement Changes
From 15 May 2019, new changes will be introduced which will require couples where one partner has reached state pension age and one has not (‘mixed age couples’) to claim universal credit (UC) instead of Pension Credit.
Engender Parliamentary Briefing: Condemnation of Misogyny, Racism, Harassment and Sexism
Engender welcomes this Scottish Parliament Debate on Condemnation of Misogyny, Racism, Harassment and Sexism and the opportunity to raise awareness of the ways in which women in Scotland’s inequality contributes to gender-based violence.
Gender Matters in Social Security: Individual Payments of Universal Credit
A paper calling on the Scottish Government to automatically split payments of Universal Credit between couples, once this power is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Gender Matters Manifesto: Twenty for 2016
This manifesto sets out measures that, with political will, can be taken over the next parliamentary term in pursuit of these goals.
Scottish NGO Briefing for UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
Joint briefing paper for the UN Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.
Newsletter
Sign up to receive our newsletter here:
Sign up to our mailing list
Receive key feminist updates direct to your inbox:
