Research and Analysis

Gender Edit of the UN Committee On Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ‘List Of Issues’ in relation to the Uk’s Seventh Periodic Report

Apr 14, 2023: This is a gender edit of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ recent ‘List of issues’ for the UK Government. It compiles all references to women, gender, and key issues with implications for gender equality in Scotland which appear in the document.

Following an evidence session with civil society in March 2023, the Committee has now published a List of issues, requesting further data from the UK Government and devolved administrations, and setting the direction for its review.

Date of publication: April 2023.

Gender Edit of 'A Stronger and More Resilient Scotland: The Programme for Government 2022-23'

Sep 7, 2022: This gender edit of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2022-23 compiles all references to women, gender and core issues with implications for gender equality which appear in the document.

This year’s Programme for Government is focussed on measures to address the escalating “cost crisis”, which is already impacting on women in Scotland and is dominating political discourse and advocacy across the UK. The programme was cut down by Scottish Ministers to around a quarter of its original size, reflecting the need to divert resources pegged for the usual slate of legislative and policy activity to alleviating pressure on household budgets. It makes clear that commitments made are subject to the forthcoming Emergency Budget that is expected from the UK Government, and subsequent outcomes of the Scottish Government’s Emergency Budget Review and the Scottish Budget for 2023-24.

This crisis is profoundly gendered, with those on low incomes left most exposed to economic volatility. Women have less access to resources and economic security than men. Within this Black and minority ethnic women, disabled women, unpaid carers, lone parents, women with insecure immigration status, younger and older women, and other marginalised groups are yet more likely to experience poverty and/or financial precarity as a result of spiralling inflation. Gender must therefore be mainstreamed throughout Scottish Government’s response, with policy and spending aimed at preventing poverty and other harms for women.

This gender edit examines the Programme for Government in sequence, with emphasis added by Engender.

Gender Edit of the Scottish Budget 2022-2023

Dec 10, 2021: This gender edit of the Scottish Budget 2022 - 2023 compiles all references to women, gender and issues with implications for gender equality which appear in the document.

The Budget was introduced by Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes MSP on the 9th December 2021. This year’s focus was using Scotland’s finances to “tackle the climate emergency, support economic recovery and reduce inequalities.” Key announcements made in the run up to the Budget included a doubling of the Scottish Child Payment to £20. In her announcement, the Cabinet Secretary emphasised the limits of additional Covid-19 funds from the Treasury and stated that recovery measures had been incorporated into existing budget lines.
This gender edit examines the Budget in sequence, with emphasis added by Engender.

Date of publication: December 2021

Gender Edit of Scotland's Programme for Government 2021-2022

Sep 8, 2021: This gender edit of A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Programme for Government 2021-22 compiles all references to women, gender and issues with implications for gender equality which appear in the document.
The programme for government sets out the Scottish Government’s legislative and policy priorities for the coming parliamentary year. This year’s programme focuses on the continuing Covid-19 pandemic and recovery, a national mission to eradicate child poverty across Scottish Government priorities and the climate crisis.

Date of publication: September 2021.

Gender edit of the Scottish Government Budget for 2021-2022

Jan 28, 2021: This gender edit of the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2021-2022 compiles the references to women and gender, as well as some specific areas of priority with particular implications for women and girls into one list, such as ‘Equalities’. In outlining the Budget, Cabinet Secretary for Finance Kate Forbes suggested that “The exceptional circumstances require an exceptional response” and highlighted the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit as key concerns.

The Cabinet Secretary outlined three priorities for the Budget:

• Creating jobs and supporting and investing in a sustainable recovery;
• Responding to the health pandemic; and
• Tackling inequalities.

This gender edit examines The Scottish Government’s Budget for 2021-22 in sequence, with all emphasis added by Engender.

Date of publication: January 2021

Gender Edit of Scotland's Programme For Government 2020-2021

Sep 2, 2020: This gender edit of The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government compiles all references to women, gender and issues with implications for gender equality which appear in the document.

This year’s Programme for Government comes amid the Scottish Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and ahead of the Scottish Elections in 2021. Considerable focus is given to protecting jobs and adjustments or investments in the health and social care system. The Government announced four new Bills to be introduced and the continuation of Bills already introduced ahead of the dissolution for the election next year.

Date published: September 2020.

Gender edit of the Scottish Government Budget 2020-2021

Feb 12, 2020: This gender edit of the Scottish Government’s Budget 2020-2021 compiles all references to women, gender and issues with implications for gender equality which appear in the document.

The Budget was introduced by Public Finance Minister, Kate Forbes MSP, who noted that the Budget for 2020-2021 would follow a “bespoke” Budget process, agreed with the Finance Committee due to the delayed UK Budget to 11 March. The Minister stated that the budget represented the best estimate of minimum level of funding that will be available to the Scottish Government using provisional forecasts.

Date of Publication: Feb 2020

Engender Gender Edit of the Scottish Government Budget 2019-2020

Jan 17, 2019: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government Budget 2019-2020. It provides excerpts which refer directly to women and gender, but also captures sections on equalities and social justice where women and girls in Scotland would be directly impacted.

Date of publication: January 2019.

Engender Gender Edit of the Scottish Government Programme for Government 2018-19

Oct 5, 2018: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government Programme for Government 2018-19. It provides excerpts which refer directly to women and gender, but also captures sections on equalities and social justice where women and girls in Scotland would be directly impacted.

Date of publication: September 2018.

A Gender Edit of the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2018-19

Jan 26, 2018: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2018-19. It provides excerpts which refer directly to women and gender, but also captures sections on equalities and social justice where women and girls in Scotland would be directly impacted.

Date of publication: January 2018.

A Gender Edit of the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2017-18

Jan 12, 2017: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2016-17. It includes all extracts that refer directly to women and gender, and selected sections on equalities and social justice more broadly, where there are clear implications for women and girls in Scotland.

Date of publication: January 2017.

A Gender Edit of A Plan for Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2016-17

Sep 8, 2016: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2016-17. It includes all extracts that refer directly to women and gender, and selected text on issues where there are clear implications for women and girls in Scotland, such as social security and unpaid care. The Programme for Government confirms the Scottish Government’s legislative programme for the opening year of the parliamentary term and it is worth noting that many of the policy and funding commitments set out are not new announcements.

Date of publication: September 2016.

A Gender Edit of Major Party Manifestos for Holyrood 2016

Apr 30, 2016: A gender edit of all of the five main party manifestos, which pulls out commitments on issues relating to women's equality.

Date of publication: April 2016.

A Gender Edit of Supplementary Party Manifestos for Holyrood 2016

Apr 30, 2016: A gender edit of the Women's Equality Party, RISE, and UKIP manifestos for the 2016 Holyrood elections.

Date of publication: April 2016.

A Gender Edit of the UK Government Budget 2016

Mar 18, 2016: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the UK Government’s Budget 2016. It includes all extracts that refer directly to women or gender, and selected policy announcements that have direct implications for women and girls in Scotland. Previously announced decisions, for instance exemption from the benefits cap for certain carers, or cuts to social security established in the Summer Budget and Autumn Statement 2015, are not included.

We point to explicitly gendered issues, rather than providing a gender analysis of the wider content or intersectional analysis of implications for disabled women and other groups. The UK Women’s Budget Group will publish a full gender assessment of this budget on 7 April.

Date of publication: March 2016.

A Gender Edit of the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2016-17

Dec 17, 2015: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2016-17. It includes all extracts that refer directly to women and gender, and selected sections on equalities and social justice more broadly, where there are clear implications for women and girls in Scotland. These include all references that directly relate to the calls we make in our Gender Matters manifesto for Holyrood 2016.

Date of publication: December 2015.

A Gender Edit of the Autumn Statement 2015

Nov 26, 2015: This is a gender edit of the Autumn Statement 2015, which pulls out all of the most gendered commitments.

Date of publication: November 2015.

A Gender Edit of the Scottish Programme for Government 2015-16

Sep 2, 2015: A 'gender edit' guide to the Scottish Government's Programme for Government 2015-16.

Date of publication: September 2015.

A Gender Edit of the Summer Budget 2015

Jul 10, 2015: This is a gender edit of the Summer Budget 2015, which pulls out all of the most gendered commitments.

Date of publication: July 2015.

A Gender Edit of the Draft Scottish Budget 2015-16

Oct 22, 2014: A gender edit of the draft Scottish budget 2015-16. This document pulls out all of the mentions of women and gender, and descriptions of spending on programmes that are particularly relevant to women.

Date of publication: October 2014

A Gender Edit of Scottish Labour's 'Red Paper'

Mar 28, 2014: This document is a ‘gender edit’ guide to the Scottish Labour party’s ‘red paper’ which sets out its case for a ‘no vote’ in the referendum. It extracts passages that refer directly to gender and women, or where there are clear implications for women and girls in Scotland.

Date of publication: March 2014

A Gender Edit of Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland

Mar 5, 2014: This document is a ‘gender edit’ of the Scottish Government's white paper, which sets out its case for a ‘yes vote’ in the referendum.

Date of publication: November 2013.