Engender blog
February 2022 - Policy Round Up
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Each month we share a summary of the policy work Engender has been doing . You can find all of our latest briefings and publications here, or in the links below.
A Gender Audit for the Scottish Parliament
We're excited to welcome the recent announcement that the Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone MSP, will be leading a Gender Audit of the Scottish Parliament. We've been calling for such an audit - as advocated for by the Interparliamentary Union and the European Institute for Gender Equality - for a long time, and so we're really pleased to be invited to sit on the advisory group for the audit.
Achieving women’s equal representation in politics is about more than just looking at the numbers of elected representatives (important though this is). By examining the make-up of committees, gathering data on who is being invited to give evidence, and understanding where gender mainstreaming is being ignored, a Gender Audit can help us work towards a Scottish Parliament which creates better legislation and leads policy change across Scotland for women.
Read more about Gender Audits and what this means for women in Scotland in this blog from our Policy and Parliamentary Manager Eilidh Dickson.#NotInOurName - Rejecting the Nationality and Borders Bill
"We must act – in Scotland – to use the powers we have to object in the strongest possible terms, to push back and stand with our fellow human beings through practical action, and to say loudly and clearly: not in our name."
Last week we joined over 60 Scottish organisations, including Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Refugee Council and JustRight Scotland, to unite against the UK Government's Nationality and Borders Bill to say #NotInOurName, urging MSPs to vote against the bill in Holyrood on Tuesday evening. You can read the full statement here.
The Scottish Parliament voted 94 Yes to 29 No - in favour of the motion to reject the Nationality and Borders Bill, sending a clear message that refugees are welcome here in Scotland. This follows the Welsh Parliament rejecting the Westminster legislation earlier this month. Read about why the bill is so dangerous and why this vote matters from Scottish Refugee Council here, as well as coverage in The National here.
Response from John Swinney MSP to our letter on the Covid-19 Inquiry Terms of Reference
We've received a response to this letter, which you can access here. Needless to say, we're disappointed in this response, which seems to completely miss the point of taking an equalities response. While we are pleased to hear that "the Inquiry will be undertaken in a way that ensures human rights and equality considerations are at the heart of it", if this does not appear directly in the Terms of Reference, there is no guarantee this will actually happen.
We'll continue to challenge the Scottish Government on this.
F-words: Words against stereotypes
Juliana da Penha is a freelance journalist and founder of Migrant Women Press, an independent media organization about women’s experiences with migration. Here she blogs for us about the stereotyping of migrant women, and the power of words to challenge that. Follow Migrant Women Press on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think about migrant women?
If you are used to the mainstream media coverage about migration, while reading news about this topic, you will probably find the prevalence of some words. What are the implications of these words on the collective understanding of migrant experiences? More importantly, what is the impact of these words on women’s experiences with migration?
It’s a fact, exposed mainly by organizations focused on gender and migration, that the issues migrant women face are underreported. Although many scholars and migration specialists emphasize the phenomenon of “feminization of migration”, migrant women stories are invisible in the mainstream media coverage. Though, when we see news about them, what words are related?
In a quick Google search, I found words like “vulnerable”, “problem”, “difficult”, “exploited”, “crisis”, struggle”.
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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.
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