Engender blog

Supporting Political Parties to achieve Equal Representation in Politics

Political parties have a unique role in achieving equal representation at all levels of government. Engender have been working with partners on the Equal Representation Coalition to develop the Equal Representation in Politics Toolkit, a set of resources to support political parties to assess their current practice and to become as inclusive as possible. The ultimate goal is to see more women, minority ethnic, LGBTI and disabled people get involved, become candidates and get elected. Here, our Equal Representation Development Officer Jessie Duncan writes about representation in Scottish politics and how the Toolkit can support parties to be proactive within their own structures to increase diverse representation.

When it was formed in 1999, Holyrood raised the bar for gender equality in political representation in Scotland (and the UK) with women making up 37.2% of MSPs, reaching a high of 39.5% in 2003. Then followed three successive elections of decline and stagnation, with figures hovering in the 33-35% range.

The early promise of Holyrood as a place where politics can better represent the communities it serves feels alive again after the 2021 election. Significant strides have been made in some areas, with women making up a record 45% of MSPs including the first two women of colour and the first permanent wheelchair user. These are gains to be celebrated, however they did not happen by accident.

#GE2019 - what's in it for women?

The snap General Election has seen record numbers of people registering to vote, parties scrambling to select candidate and release manifestos, and wall-to-wall coverage of different Brexit proposals.

As we approach the UK General Election on the 12th of December 2019, Engender is concerned that significant uncertainties with respect to women’s futures remain. Despite the fact that this election has been nicknamed “the Brexit election” we have not heard any proposals or commitments from any party which centre women within their vision for the future. This is highly concerning given that EU-membership has been instrumental in progressing women’s equality in the UK, driving the expansion of gender mainstreaming into UK and Scottish policy, and ensuring minimum legal protections for women’s rights and equality, particularly in the workplace.

So we have identified seven key areas which are vital for women's equality, and which should feature in this election:

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

Proxy voting and making politics work for women

In the week that a year-long proxy voting pilot scheme was launched in the House of Commons, our Policy and Parliamentary Manager Eilidh Dickson reflects on what the move means for women and considers whether it's time for Holyrood to do the same.

Just this week Tulip Siddiq became the first MP vote by proxy in the House of Commons while on maternity leave following the birth of her second child. So aware of the importance of the moment, her colleague Vicky Foxcroft wrote ‘Tulip’ across her hand to make extra sure she wouldn’t slip up and forget to cast her colleague’s vote.