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.
Guest Post: Why we must support women to make their own contraceptive choices
Alison Scott is a sexual health consultant with a focus on socially excluded women and chair of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (Scotland). Here, she continues our blog series looking at Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) and why choice must be at the heart of women’s reproductive healthcare.
Having trained in obstetrics and gynaecology, I made the decision to move into sexual health around 18 years ago. My boss in sexual health at the time (a formidable force of nature who thought nothing of asking me if my fourth pregnancy had been planned!) was also a woman who had no tolerance of fools but advocated for those who she felt had no voice. At one of our first clinics, we were discussing contraceptive options. She gave me a phrase which I have stolen and used repeatedly when teaching others. “If she doesn’t choose it, she won’t use it”.
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
Engender joins forces with over 85 civil society organisations to express concerns about no-deal
Today Engender has joined forces with over 85 organisations from across the UK in expressing our shared and serious concerns about the impacts a no-deal Brexit will have on civil society. Collectively, we have called on the Prime Minister to urgently engage with civil society to address the risks that leaving the EU without a deal on the 31st October presents.[1]
Signatories of the letter have serious concerns that a no-deal exit will be a direct threat to the peace process in Northern Ireland, result in regression of rights and standards, uncertainty about the future, and about the lack of adequate engagement and support from the Government.
Combating online abuse: Whose job is it anyway?
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Engender's Communications and Administration Assistant Maxine Blane recently attended a Glitch workshop on digital self-care and self-defence. Here she reflects on her experiences and the work being done around women's digital equality.
Being online has become an inextricable piece of how we engage and participate in public life. Even if you have proudly resisted the siren call of all the cat videos on social media, the internet is required to access information, apply for jobs and social security, enhance education and maintain contact with friends, family and professional acquaintances.
For women and girls on the internet, online abuse and harassment is not a new phenomenon. Writing in 1995, (two years before my family would get our first ‘net-connected’ computer), feminist journalist and academic Sue Innes wrote that for women, the internet “was a new medium with an old message: keep out.” Since then, online abuse and harassment have only spread and adapted, welcoming the rise of the new mediums of social media and becoming endemic across these platforms.
Feminism on Film: Engender joins with Take One Action Film Festival
Films can be an amazing way to explore new ideas, understand complex issues, and celebrate change. And documentary film is a particularly good medium for discussion, as anyone who's overheard conversations about Fyre Festival, R Kelly or Apollo 11 this year will know.
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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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