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.
Trapped: the call for a more flexible world
Fran Macilvey is an Edinburgh-based author. Her memoir ‘Trapped’ tells the story of her life with cerebral palsy. She has also published two self-help books which she thinks of as ‘gleaning something valuable from forty years of making mistakes’ and has recently finished writing three novels about women’s experiences with the law.
Using the law to tackle misogyny
Engender’s Policy and Parliamentary Manager, Eilidh Dickson, has been a member of the Independent Working Group on Misogyny chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy. Here she reflects on the final report released today:
Misogyny constrains every aspect of women’s lives – from the decisions about what time or where we feel comfortable to go for walk in our own neighbourhoods, to the subjects we take at school because of peer pressure, teasing or worse if we break with gendered conventions. Women in Scotland need a wholesale culture shift towards a society which values equality and where misogyny is no longer acceptable. For a number of years Engender has been calling for a standalone criminal offence based on misogyny; using the law as one piece of the puzzle to making women safer in Scotland.
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Engender joins other orgnisations dismayed at exclusion of equality and rights in Scottish Government’s Covid-19 inquiry
Today, we joined with 26 organisations working for equality and human rights in Scotland to write to John Swinney expressing our “dismay” and “deep concerns” following the publication of the Scottish Government’s Terms of Reference for a public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.
Delivering Equally Safe - how can we prevent violence against women?
Engender have been awarded funding from the Delivering Equally Safe fund of the Scottish Government, for work on primary prevention of violence against women. In this blog, we explain why this is so vital, and how those interested can complete our Invitation to Tender.Women’s inequality is both a cause and consequence of violence against women, and therefore eradicating violence against women in Scotland will require us to tackle entrenched gender inequalities.
Emma Ritch awarded lifetime achievement award
Last night Engender's late Executive Director, Emma Ritch, was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Public Services Award 2021. Nina Murray, the convener of Engender's board, accepted the award. Her speech honouring Emma is shared here.
Recruiting for Engender's Executive Director
Today we have launched the recruitment to find Engender’s new Executive Director.
Where are the women in Scottish Government plans for a National Care Service?
Climate Change is a Feminist Issue
Over the next two weeks COP26
is taking place in Glasgow, where governments will negotiate actions and rules
for addressing climate change.We all know that climate change is a feminist issue, particularly because the effects are already being felt disproportionately by women and communities of colour across the world. If you want to find out more, Gal-dem’s new series ‘It’s Happening Now’, explores the effect of the climate crisis and campaigns for change to address its effects on marginalised communities in the UK and around the world. They are publishing a series of articles during, and beyond, COP26 which you can access here.
When Words Fail: The Way Institutions Talk about Sarah Everard Matters
[CN: violence against women, police violence] In this blog post, Gender Equal Media Scotland's Development Officer, Dr. Miranda Barty-Taylor, discusses the language used by institutions in the wake of the Sarah Everard case and trial, and the epidemic of violence against women and girls in the UK. This blog entry largely refers to UK institutions.
CEDAW: how are the UK and Scottish Governments responding to the recommendations?
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GUEST POST: Stand with the pro-choice voice across the US
Feminist across the world have continued to watch in horror as reproductive rights are under attack in the USA. In this blog, Jane Carnall, an activist with Abortion Rights Edinburgh sets out why we must act in solidarity with those seeking access to abortion in the states.
Incorporating CEDAW - what a new human rights bill could do for women in Scotland
Last week marked the start of Incorporation Fortnight – a two week campaign led by the Human Rights Consortium Scotland focused on human rights incorporation and a new human rights law for Scotland. In this blog, our Policy and Parliamentary Manager Eilidh Dickson explores incorporation of CEDAW and what it could mean for women in Scotland.
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Tell us about your experiences of workplace sexual harassment
Over the past year, Engender have been thinking about what needs to change to eradicate sexual harassment at work. Now we are asking women in Scotland to tell us about their experiences of sexual and sexist harassment in the workplace.
Supporting Political Parties to achieve Equal Representation in Politics
Political parties have a unique role in achieving equal representation at all levels of government. Engender have been working with partners on the Equal Representation Coalition to develop the Equal Representation in Politics Toolkit, a set of resources to support political parties to assess their current practice and to become as inclusive as possible. The ultimate goal is to see more women, minority ethnic, LGBTI and disabled people get involved, become candidates and get elected. Here, our Equal Representation Development Officer Jessie Duncan writes about representation in Scottish politics and how the Toolkit can support parties to be proactive within their own structures to increase diverse representation.
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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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