Engender blog
All of Engender’s latest news. Reports, reviews, books, articles, and information from across Scotland’s women’s sector.
We would love to hear from other feminists around Scotland. Check out our guidelines for more information on how you can blog for us.
Abortion, rights, and representation
Attempts to erode women's reproductive rights have been seen this week in England and at Holyrood; here Engender's Policy Manager, Jill Wood, sets out why we must challenge misinformation to defend women's rights.
The vast majority of people in Scotland believe in a women’s right to choose. But periodically we are reminded of the mindset of the small majority waging anti-choice campaigns.
Budgeting for Equality
This week the Equality and Human Rights Committee of the Scottish Parliament will be hearing the first of two evidence sessions as part of their scrutiny of the draft Scottish Budget. The Committee’s scrutiny is focused on the link between Scottish Government’s equality and human rights priorities and what’s in the Budget.
Towards a New Common Chapter
Since spring this year, Engender has been involved in the 'Towards a New Common Chapter' project coordinated by the Centre for Cross Border Studies. Here, our policy and parliamentary manager Eilidh Dickson looks at our international work and our work on the project so far.
Engender’s work across the UK, Europe and internationally is a vitally important aspect of the feminist policy and advocacy work that we do.
Progressing women’s rights and equality in Scotland often depends on the learning and experience we can gather from our sisters across the women’s sector, both nationally and through international networks such as the UK Joint Committee on Women and the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), the largest umbrella body of feminist organisations in Europe. So often, challenging the root causes of gender inequality demands the same or similar actions wherever we are, and being able to rely on and show solidarity as women’s organisations is crucial in amplifying our work.
Smash the Patriarchy, Save the Planet
As people around the world prepare to go on #ClimateStrike tomorrow, Engender's Communications and Engagement Manager, Alys Mumford, writes about why feminists should take action on climate change.
Climate change is a feminist issue. Just as we strive to include intersectional analysis in all of our work for women’s equality, we must recognise that climate change is an issue which disproportionately affects women around the world. Within this, as with so many issues of women’s inequality, it is poorer women, women of colour, carers, disabled women, and other marginalised women who are easier to ignore by decision-makers, and who will bear the brunt of the extreme weather, conflict, forced migration, increased illness, and resource shortages.
Can foreign policy ever be truly feminist?
Margot Wallström certainly believes it can, and proudly declared she was setting Sweden on the path to a ‘feminist foreign policy’ in 2014.
Despite this, her resignation announcement last week, after 5 years as Sweden’s foreign minister, didn’t mention her feminism and instead described her role as ‘promoting Sweden's security and prosperity in the world’. In reality this has meant a focus on arms exports and a regressive migration policy. Both things you would be hard-pressed to describe as feminist, but her description misses out her other work on sexual violence, on nuclear disarmament, and in defence of women’s rights.
RSSDownloads
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.
Newsletter
Sign up to receive our newsletter here:
Sign up to our mailing list
Receive key feminist updates direct to your inbox:
