Engender blog

Research shows record number of women MSPs standing down ahead of election

Ahead of the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections on 6th May, today Engender is publishing our new paper exploring why women MSPs are stepping down, and what we can do to tackle this.

The upcoming elections are a crucial moment to ensure that our next intake of MSPs furthers women’s representation at the highest levels of decision-making, but our research shows that an unprecedented number of women MSPs are not seeking re-election.

Out of 129 MSPs serving in the Scottish Parliament until March 2026, over a third announced that they would not stand for re- election in May 2026. Of the 40 MSPs who stood down, 23 were women (58%). Women made up 45% of the Scottish Parliament in March 2026. With 23 out of a total of 58 women MSPs standing down, this meant that 40% of women MSPs decided not to run again. Nine out of the 23 women who stood down were elected for the first time in 2021 meaning they served only one term in Parliament.

Understanding why women are standing down from elected office is essential in addressing persistent gender inequalities within democratic institutions and to ensuring that women’s perspectives continue to inform the decision-making that impacts their lives. We surveyed the women MSPs who had announced their intention to stand down to find out what factors were motivating their decision.

 
5 Reasons for women MSPs to stand down from elected office (from our survey) 

1. Work/Life balance

2. Length of time spent away from family

3. Demands on time beyond working hours

4. Misogynist abuse (including on social media)

5. Threats to safety 

Women MSPs told us about their difficulty balancing work with caring responsibilities and the parliament’s lack of offering support to the barriers and misogyny women face on top of the busy lifestyle of a politician. These compounding impacts leave women vulnerable, and ultimately contribute to their decision to quit politics altogether.

Using input from women MSPs and building on work from Engender’s Equal Representation project, our paper contains recommendations for political parties, Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to increase women’s participation and retention, tackle violence against women, misogyny and abuse in politics, balance family life and work, and build long term culture change.

5 Key Recommendations 

1. Ensure there is a Code of Conduct and bespoke policies for all members that prohibit gender-based violence and discrimination, and set out clear and transparent reporting processes.

2. Together with Police Scotland, continue to raise awareness about Operation Ford and increase capacity so that all MSPs are adequately supported in monitoring their social media abuse and violence.

3. Provide access to mental health and wellbeing support for members who have experienced gender-based violence or discrimination.

4. Adapt party structures and ways of working to better accommodate women’s and caregivers’ needs, respecting family and caregiving responsibilities.

5. Agree long-term goals for diverse representation across local council, Holyrood and Westminster elections. Create accompanying strategies to guide work to achieve them. At all levels, foster a culture that takes proactive steps against sexism, racism, classism, ableism, transphobia and other intersecting discrimination.

Read the full paper including all the recommendations for action here.

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