Engender blog
All of Engender’s latest news. Reports, reviews, books, articles, and information from across Scotland’s women’s sector.
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#MakingWorkVisible for International Women's Day 2020
Every International Women's Day, we ask women across Scotland to share their days with us, to highlight the unpaid, undervalued, and invisible work done by women in Scotland.
This includes the low-paid (and falsely-named 'unskilled') work which is dominated by women, the unpaid care work happening in houses across the country, household chores which are unevenly distributed (even if men think they are equally shared), and all of the mental labour which women are - say it with me now - "just naturally better at".
While the irony of asking women to live-tweet their days, thus adding to their to-do list, isn't lost on us, it's important to take the time to reflect on the gendered nature of what we see as 'work'. Not to call out partners who aren't pulling their weight (although that can be a pleasing side-effect), or to humblebrag about how much work we are doing, but because work which is vital to the wellbeing of all of us - volunteering, kinship care, marking celebrations, raising children - is still widely done by women.
This year, tweets highlighted the work that goes in to caring - the practical tasks and admin, the emotional cost of supporting a loved one, the additional strain which fears over coronavirus cause; the mental work which has to happen on a Sunday to make sure everyone goes to work or school with clean clothes, completed homework, and a packed lunch; the effort which goes into being social, into hosting friends, remembering birthdays, and keeping track of who's going where. Check out the #MakingWorkVisible hashtag to see more.
Making women safer in Scotland: the case for a standalone misogyny offence
Today Engender has released a report calling for misogyny to be considered as a criminal offence in Scotland in order to challenge the epidemic of harassment and abuse facing women and girls.
The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the law around hate crime in Scotland, and is deciding between introducing a ‘gender hostility’ aggravation - adding gender or sex to the list of characteristics already covered by hate crime legislation- and the creation of a standalone offence. Our report shows that a ‘gender hostility’ aggravation will not solve the problem of misogyny, and may in fact undermine existing policy designed to tackle domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women.
For example, a gender aggravation
might be applied to one incidence of domestic abuse, but not another,
meaning that one would be treated more seriously by the court. This is
inconsistent with feminist analysis, echoed in Equally Safe, Scotland’s violence against women strategy, which says that gender inequality is inextricably linked with violence.
Feminists in the boardroom
Governance isn't necessarily the most glamorous area of feminist activism, but it's a vital part of making change. Here our Communications and Engagement Manager, Alys Mumford, discusses why you should consider joining a board.
‘We don’t just need 50% women elected, we need 50% feminists elected’ is an oft-heard phrase when we are talking about increasing women’s participation. While frequently spoken in the context of politics, it is equally true about women on boards. And with more and more organisations striving to have gender balance on their boards (both because of the Scottish Government’s Representation on Public Boards Act and because of, y’know, equality and stuff), it’s really important that governance is seen as a feminist issue.
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?
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
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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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