Engender blog
GUEST POST: Women and Local Council Elections in Scotland
Today we're publishing the first in a series of blogs from the current student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course.
In this post, Rowan discusses women's representation in local councils, and will be researching about why some women that were previously elected are not re-standing in the local council elections in May 2022. You can read Rowan's second blog here.
When I decided to apply to the Applied Gender Studies masters at Strathclyde, the prospect of a research placement at Engender was a big factor in my decision. Naturally, I am now thrilled to be a part of this organisation’s research into the experiences of female local councillors in Scotland and the reasons behind some women’s decision to stand down in the May 2022 elections.
The overrepresentation of men in positions of power in Scotland was made evident in Engender’s 2020 Sex & Power Report. More specifically, we saw that women make up just 29 percent of elected councillors at local authority level. Unequal gender representation in local councils reflects and compounds inequality in society, since we know the narrower the range of backgrounds, the narrower the range of experiences that are brought to the fore in political decision making. Local councils are the democratically accountable voices of our local communities and it is therefore vital that we increase women’s representation to at least 50 percent – roughly in line with the proportion of women in our society. On a more positive note, we now have a record share of MSPs, 45 percent, who identify as female. We are hopeful that similar progress will be made in the local council elections in May.
It is worth noting that there are currently no requirements to collect or publish information on the equality characteristics of candidates for elections in Scotland. This is because the UK Government did not enact Section 106 of the Equality Act to require that all parties are legally responsible to publish demographic data on their candidates ahead of any election. When this is combined with the paucity of information available on independent candidates, understanding the true diversity of candidates in our local authorities is somewhat challenging.
At the end of 2021, the Scottish Government set out plans to collect data on the diversity of candidates and elected representatives in the May 2022 elections. A questionnaire was designed to ask candidates questions about the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act and to capture additional information on the socio-economic status, previous parliamentary experience and caring responsibilities of candidates. However, the questionnaire did not include questions exploring the experiences of candidates and any barriers they faced in seeking to become or while serving as a councillor.
The COSLA Barriers to Elected Office Special Interest Group has undertaken work to increase the diversity of local councillors and address the barriers to elected office. There are a number of key themes that emerge from their research:
- Remuneration. Councillors are unfairly compensated for the responsibility and workload of the modern councillor.
- Working hours. Councillors work full-time equivalent hours, making it difficult to maintain secondary employment.
- Working practices. Councillors face challenges when balancing other caring responsibilities with the role.
- Support. There is often a lack of support services from political parties and especially for independent councillors.
- Culture. Councillors are at greater risk of scrutiny, harassment and abuse than the average citizen.
Taking account of gaps in the current research and the barriers to elected office highlighted by COSLA, Engender’s research will focus on why female councillors are choosing to stand down from their position in the May 2022 elections. The hope is that this research will provide a more complete picture of women’s experiences in local government, the reasons why they choose to leave their role and the possible barriers to women’s equal representation in local councils.
In order to meet my research aim, I will interview female councillors from both rural and urban authorities to discuss their experiences and explore the reasons why they are not seeking re-election. I aim to interview 10 councillors from a sample of 4 or 5 different local authorities. Attempts will be made to achieve an acceptable geographical spread within the sample. Data from the interviews will be presented in a final report, and patterns and themes that emerge from the data will be explored and comparisons drawn between urban and rural authorities, as well as between independent and party-affiliated councillors. In addition, the report will present statistics and a breakdown of the gender representation of the candidates from the research sample.
I look forward to exploring this important area of research with Engender over the next few months.
GUEST POST: Gender-Based Violence Policies at the Local Authority Level Part 2
Today we're publishing the next in a series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.
In 2020 Jennifer Robinson graduated with an honours degree in Society Politics and Policy from the University of the West of Scotland. She is now undertaking a Masters in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods with a particular interest in feminist disability studies. She has previously written for the Glasgow Women’s Library and you can find her tweeting about feminism and disability on twitter @JenRobinson95.
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As part of my Msc Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods I am undertaking a placement with Engender to research gender equality within Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh Council. In my previous blog post I explored Renfrewshire council’s gender-based violence policies and funding decisions. In my final blog post I will outline Edinburgh Council’s Domestic Abuse Housing Policy, their council budget and transport policies.
GUEST POST: Exploring how local authorities use Equality Impact Assessments
Today we're publishing another post in the series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.
Katie Young graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in English Literature in Summer 2020, and is now studying a Master’s degree in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods at the University of Strathclyde. She is passionate about women’s fiction and empowering girls and young women to fight for gender equality in Scotland through volunteering with Girlguiding, and tweets under @katieeey.
![Graphic with a bright lilac background with left-aligned black quoted text which reads "By taking an approach to gender inequality which is grounded in gender-sensitive data, involving women in decision making and consultation processes and committing to regularly publishing and updating their work [...] councils are able to increase their transparency as well as producing policies that best fit the needs of their local area." The quote is attributed to Katie Young, Student Placement, University of Strarthclyde. In the top right hand corner of the graphic is the Engender logo, a circle with an equals symbol in the centre, in black.](siteimages/Blog/resized/student-blog-katie-young-quotes-square-1080x1080-(1)-400.png)
Following on from my last blog post on Equality Impact Assessment guidance in West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute councils, I’ve been thinking about what Equality Impact Assessments aim to do, how we can use Equality Impact Assessments as a tool to hold local authorities to account to ensure they consider the impact of gender on their policies and procedures, and what might have to be done to improve equalities work within local authorities. By thinking about policy and procedures in a way that is more gender-sensitive, local authorities are not only able to carry out work that is mindful of and meets the needs of the women and those with other protected characteristics in their communities, but also raise the profile of equalities work in the local authority more generally and highlight the difference that this can make to the lives of local people.
GUEST BLOG: Gender-Based Violence Policies at the Local Authority Level Part 1
Today we're publishing the fourth in a series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.
In 2020 Jennifer Robinson graduated with an honours degree in Society Politics and Policy from the University of the West of Scotland. She is now undertaking a Masters in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods with a particular interest in feminist disability studies. She has previously written for the Glasgow Women’s Library and you can find her tweeting about feminism and disability on twitter @JenRobinson95.
As part of my Msc Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods degree I have been on placement with Engender to investigate gender representation at the local authority level. My previous blog post highlighted the number of women councillors within Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh Council. Since then I have been exploring key policies within each council designed to address gender-based violence (GBV). In this blog post I will outline some of Renfrewshire’s key gender-based violence policies.
Renfrewshire Council’s GBV Strategy
In 2014 the Scottish government published “Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls”. This strategy conveys the responsibility that all levels of society, including the local authority level, have in tackling violence against women and girls. In response to Equally Safe, Renfrewshire launched “Equally Safe in Renfrewshire: Renfrewshire’s No to Gender-Based Violence Strategy 2018-2021”. The strategy details the aim to establish Renfrewshire as a place where GBV is not tolerated and those affected by GBV are provided with support.
Key GBV statistics outlined in the document demonstrate the prevalence of domestic abuse and sexual crimes in Renfrewshire. Statistics on local attitudes found that the majority of respondents acknowledge the role of gender in experiences of abuse. However, a significant minority did not reflect these views conveying the continuing challenge to tackle GBV. Furthermore, a “ChildrenCount Wellbeing Survey” uncovered the prevalence of emotional control in teenage intimate relationships. Importantly, the strategy takes an intersectional approach by recognising the diverse impact of GBV on BME women, LGBT people, people with disabilities, refugee women, women with no recourse to public funds and women with complex needs.
A progress report of the GBV strategy is published annually during the 16 Days of Action (25th November – 10th December). I was curious to see these annual reports. However, trying to find council reports is challenging. After exploring the Renfrewshire council website, I came across a link which took me to Renfrewshire’s committee and councillor’s website. The website contains the various committees and their members, minutes from committee meetings and council documents and reports. Here, I typed “gender-based violence” into the search bar and found the GBV Strategy year 1 review and the GBV Strategy year 2 mid-year review. While reading these I uncovered an interesting policy. Under the GBV strategy, Renfrewshire launched a Domestic Abuse Policy for staff in 2019:
Renfrewshire’s Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff
Renfrewshire was one of the first local authorities in Scotland to introduce a Domestic Abuse Policy for staff. The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate Renfrewshire’s zero-tolerance approach to domestic abuse. The policy has been developed in line with Equally Safe and complies with the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 which criminalises many forms of abuse, including psychological abuse and coercive control. According to the Human Rights Commission, 75% of people who experience domestic abuse are targeted at work, showing the importance of implementing guidance for staff.
Under the policy, employees experiencing domestic abuse can request up to 10 days paid leave per annum. The policy provides guidance for staff that experience domestic abuse and guidance on how to recognise if a colleague is experiencing domestic abuse. For instance, this could be changes in behaviours, changes in timekeeping, changes in work performance or isolating themselves. The policy also outlines the steps managers should take if they suspect an employee is experiencing domestic abuse.
GUEST POST: Equality Impact Assessments in Local Authorities
Today we're publishing the third in a series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.
Katie Young graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in English Literature in Summer 2020, and is now studying a Master’s degree in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods at the University of Strathclyde. She is passionate about women’s fiction and empowering girls and young women to fight for gender equality in Scotland through volunteering with Girlguiding, and tweets under @katieeey.
I’ve been researching how Equality Impact Assessments are used in both West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute councils, how they may or may not consider the impact of specific policy changes on women, and how they are implemented. To do this, I’ve spent lots of time searching through council websites and reading lots about new policies put forward by both local authorities to find potential gaps in their policies and consider how they might be improved to embed women’s needs within their work.
Under the Equality Act (2010), councils are legally required to publish Equality Impact Assessments to assess and review their policies and procedures. This allows them to:
- Address the potential impacts of a new policy and ensure that they are working to eliminate discrimination towards groups mentioned in the legislation;
- Promote equality of opportunity within the local area;
- Enable individuals with protected characteristics to fully participate in and build relationships within their local community.
In my research, I focused specifically on guidance that should be published by local authorities on their process for conducting Equality Impact Assessments, as well as the assessments themselves and how they measured the impact of policy on women specifically. In West Dunbartonshire, this guidance is relatively easy to find and has a clear explanation of the legislative background for conducting Equality Impact Assessments, detailing what they mean by protected characteristics and their inclusion of the Scottish Government’s Fairer Scotland Duty (2018) that specifically focuses on mitigating socioeconomic inequality. It asks that we consider three main points when undertaking an Equality Impact Assessment:
- Inequality of outcomes;
- Inequality of process;
- Inequality of autonomy.
Here, it asks questions about how policies specifically impact the community, the resources that are needed to ensure that it does not further existing inequalities, and the impact of the policy on other community groups and services. Considering this in relation to protected characteristics requires an evidence-based policy approach, which often consists of further consultation and continuous monitoring to identify required actions that the council must take, and ensure that equalities are addressed should the needs of the community change after the policy is introduced. It also provides some contextual information on the importance of Equality Impact Assessments where legal challenges have proven assessments to be unfit for purpose, such as the Southall Black Sisters’ case against Ealing Council in 2008, where funding for specialist domestic violence services was directed away from specific support for BAME women to an ‘all women’ approach, which found that the council was not following its own equalities guidance and had misunderstood the need for these services to mitigate multiple inequalities.
Argyll and Bute’s guidance, however, was slightly more difficult to find. After sending a Freedom of Information request, I found out that their goals for conducting Equality Impact Assessments were broadly similar to West Dunbartonshire, where they want to enable better opportunities for scrutiny of their decision making processes, enable more informed decision making, and consider the impact of policy and procedural changes on all socio-economic inequalities, including the impact on island communities to take into account the diversity within the council area. They are also part of the Fairer Scotland Duty and have committed to review and update their equalities guidance regularly, most recently in February 2020. They also provide detailed information on the consultation process and how this can best be carried out to ensure that equalities are continuously monitored, an overview of the process for committing to and carrying out an Equality Impact Assessment, and a glossary of key terms within the guidance, which makes the process more accessible and transparent. Unlike West Dunbartonshire, they do not provide any examples of notable Equality Impact Assessments, examples of good practice, or areas where assessments could be improved.
In conclusion, both local authorities do show a commitment to considering equalities within their work, but this is not consistent across the equalities guidance that they publish. Although West Dunbartonshire does well in providing contextual information to stress the importance of considering equalities when devising new policies and procedures, they don’t provide assessments for their most recent decisions. Argyll and Bute’s commitment to continuous review of their own policies suggests that there is a strong commitment to equalities within the local authority, where their guidance is easy to understand and made more accessible through the use of a glossary of key terms and a clear explanation of the procedures in place. Both local authorities do have some work to do to improve their equalities procedures, where Argyll and Bute could make their guidance more accessible and obvious on their website, and West Dunbartonshire should commit to publishing Equality Impact Assessments more regularly and more visibly online. If these small changes are made, this would really make a difference in their work to minimise inequalities within the area by allowing local residents greater opportunity to hold them to account by increasing the amount of information that is available to them. By placing equalities at the heart of the decision-making process and opening these procedures up to public scrutiny, local authorities can involve the community in their work, ensuring that these important and impactful decisions are made with their best interests at heart.
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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.
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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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