Engender blog

Guest Post: Why we must support women to make their own contraceptive choices

Protecting Scotland's Future: Programme for Government 2019-2020

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?

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.

Guest Post: Equally Safe at Work

Women’s labour market participation experts, Close the Gap, are running an exciting employer accreditation programme called Equally Safe at Work. We asked Programme Officer Kelsey Smith to give us an update on the project so far.

Menopause Matters: Ending the stigma

Guest Post: Exploring contraception as a feminist issue

Stay up to date with Engender's work in Europe

Engender sits on the United Kingdom Joint Committee on Women, which represents the UK at the European Women's Lobby. In June our director Emma Ritch was in Brussels for the European Women's Lobby General Assembly and here, she talks about the importance of our work with our feminist sisters across Europe.

We know that Brexit is on the minds of women in Scotland at the moment. The Conservative leadership campaign that will select the next UK Prime Minister has brought a lot of fears to the surface about immigration, women’s rights, care, and the economy.

Guest Post: Contraception information and consent - two sides of the same coin?

As discussions around schemes which offer women support on the condition they utilise long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) continue, we'll be hosting a series of blogs by Elspeth Wilson discussing her research into how LARC has historically been - and continues to be - used to control the fertility of marginalised people. Read Elspeth's previous blog here.In her second blog, Elspeth discusses ideas around informed consent.

Guest Post: Hyper-sexualising queer women is a social injustice - it's time to change the narrative

Denisha Killoh is a proud member of the LGBT+ community with experience of fighting for change for marginalised groups. As Pride month draws to a close, she reflects on the need to take action to end discrimination against lesbians.Follow Denisha on Twitter @denishakilloh

We live in a day and age where people are quicker than ever to call out injustices in society. Recently, we’ve seen an unprecedented rise of social activism, as a direct influence of social media, allowing anyone with a cause and a platform to fight for change.

Guest Post: Why contraception needs a Me Too moment

Menopause Matters: Share your experience in our survey

Scotland & the European Elections: What's in it for women?

Menopause Matters: an assessment of the support needs of Scottish women experiencing menopause transition

Engender is really pleased to be working with University of Edinburgh student Elena Rodriguez on a project exploring women's experiences of the menopause.Born in San José, Costa Rica, Elena graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Costa Rica in 2016. She has since worked researching access to healthcare for migrant and indigenous populations in Costa Rica, and on knowledge and attitudes towards flu vaccines with health professionals and postpartum women. She's been a feminist since 1990, and in her first blog for Engender, she sets out what the project hopes to do.

Biologically, the menopause is considered a natural part of ageing. Generally defined as the moment a woman stops having periods, it occurs at the average age of 51 years in the UK. However, for some women the process happens earlier - often with no apparent cause, or as a result of surgical or medical procedures, for example some cancer treatments.

Scottish women and the vote

In this blog, Alys Mumford reflects on our podcast miniseries looking at Scottish Women and the Vote.

As with all things relating to the struggle for women’s liberation, the recording of a podcast series about women's suffrage has been in equal parts inspiring and disheartening.

CEDAW: How the UN Women’s Bill of Rights creates possibilities for women and girls in Scotland.

Engender members

Guest Post: Media representations of women with mental health issues

Celebrating Scotland's Gender Pay Gap Action Plan