Engender blog

General Election 2024 - Reforming social security to fight women's poverty

We’re calling on candidates in the upcoming General Election to commit to taking action on four key areas for women if elected.

In our What’s in it for women? four-part series, we’ll break down each of our key asks covering health, social security, equal representation and immigration. 

Today, we’ll focus on social security and why we need reform of household payments of Universal Credit and removal of the two-child limit to fight women’s poverty.

Find and email your local candidates with our pre-written letter here. 

Bright pink graphic with a purple icon of a purse captioned 86% of cuts to social security came from women's incomes between 2010 and 2020, next to text that reads Why we need to reform social security to fight women's poverty

General Election 2024 - Why we need equal representation of women in politics

We’re calling on candidates in the upcoming General Election to commit to taking action on four key areas for women if elected.

In our What’s in it for women? four-part series, we’ll break down each of our key asks covering health, social security, equal representation and immigration. 

Today, we’ll focus on equal representation and why we’re calling for action on quotas and better data collection about our candidates.

Find and email your local candidates with our pre-written letter here. 

Graphic with a bright pink background and black and white text that reads Why we need equal representation of women in politics next to a pie chart showing that 40 men and 19 women were Scottish MPs in 2023

General Election 2024?– What’s in it for women??

Email your local candidates with our pre-written letter here

In a few clicks, contact your local candidates to ask what they will do for women's rights in Scotland.

  1. Find your local candidates by searching your postcode below
  2. On the next page, edit and send the campaign letter
To start, enter your postcode:
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We’re calling on candidates to commit to taking action on four key areas for women if elected – and we need your help. 

Graphic with a bright pink background and black and pink text which reads Are your local candidates committed to women's rights? Email them directly from our website & ask for their support.Political decision-making affects women’s daily lives, yet there is a significant void in women’s representation and distribution of power in Scotland. We advocate for a Scotland where women are part of every political and economic decision, both as decision-makers and as citizens who are affected by the consequences of these decisions.  

A decade of austerity policies, the pandemic, and the ongoing cost of living crisis have all impacted women disproportionately. Issues like fuel costs, unpaid care, housing, women’s safety, mental health and social security continue to impact the most marginalised women. 

The General Election on 4th July is an opportunity for the next UK Government to prioritise women’s rights and equality.
We need change to make women’s voices heard. 

Downloads

Engender Briefing: Pension Credit Entitlement ChangesEngender 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 SexismEngender 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 CreditGender 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 2016Gender 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 WomenScottish NGO Briefing for UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Joint briefing paper for the UN Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

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