Engender blog

Visibly Invisible: Cultural representations of women with disabilites in contemporary scottish and uk media

Engender has been working with University of Stirling student Caroline Darke on a project exploring some of the issues around the representation (or rather, lack) of women with disabilities within the mainstream Scottish and UK media. This project connects with Engender’s on-going commitment to achieving gender parity within the Scottish media, and our Disabled Women: Our Bodies, Our Rights project, which examines the rights of disabled women and their reproductive journeys within current social care practices and government policy.

This blog is the first in a series Caroline will be writing for us, and explores some of the discourse surrounding disabled women in Scotland.

Speak out even though your voice shakes

Our Communications and Engagement Manager Alys Mumford blogs about the importance of bystander action in preventing inequality.

Since I saw the video of Elin Ersson preventing the deportation of a man to Afghanistan from Sweden a few days ago, I just haven’t been able to get it out of my head. When I tell people about it I get goosebumps. It gives me hope in a world where hope seems naïve.

Disabled Women: Our Bodies Our Rights

Last year, Engender received funding from the Tampon Tax Fund for a project researching disabled women's experiences of parenting and reproductive health services in Scotland. Disabled Women: Our Bodies, Our Rights (previously called Disabled Women's Reproductive Journeys) has been operating for over a year now, and we're pleased to give you an update on how it's going from Chris Belous our project intern.The project also has a Twitter account now, which is the best way to find out the latest updates on the project. Follow it at Disabled Women: Our Bodies Our Rights

Scotland in solidarity with Northern Ireland

Engender's Emma Trottier & Alys Mumford set out why it's so important that Scottish MPs take action for Northern Irish women.Abortion rights in Northern Ireland

Imagine two women; one lives in Belfast; the other in Edinburgh. Both women have decided to terminate their pregnancy. The one in Edinburgh is covered by the 1967 Abortion Act. She’ll need to seek approval from two doctors before proceeding, and has other barriers to overcome, but she has access to a safe and legal abortion. For the woman in Northern Ireland, the situation is one of the worst in the western world. The abortion law dates to 1861, so it’s hardly surprising that terminations are heavily restricted: an abortion is only available if there is a serious, permanent or long-term risk to the life or health of the woman. For the woman in Belfast, a termination will involve extensive planning and travelling, as well as emotional and financial costs. As she cannot exercise her reproductive rights at home, she will have to leave and travel across the sea to terminate her pregnancy, purchase illegal medicine online, or continue with an unwanted or unviable pregnancy.

A referendum in Northern Ireland isn’t the answer to free, safe and legal abortion

Emma Trottier, Engender's Policy and Parliamentary Manager sets out why Northern Ireland doesn’t need a referendum to realise women’s reproductive rights; it needs Westminster to take action.

The images of the Yes campaign in Ireland are still imprinted in my mind: pictures of women campaigning under banners of “Together for Yes”; the bold white “REPEAL” letters on black jumpers; the red heart emblazoned with “Repeal the 8^th”; and #hometovote. It was only last week that the Yes campaign won, but it already feels like an age. Almost as soon as the last constituency results were announced, our collective gaze shifted north to focus on the punitive, regressive law that remains in place in Northern Ireland. While mainstream attention to the abortion law in Northern Ireland is long overdue, confusion has set in over how women’s reproductive rights can be realised in Northern Ireland.

#Engender25: 25 Years of Success...and still going

Guest Post: LIFE

Engender is proud to host this guest comic from Grace Wilson and Jenny Bloomfield.

Of their story Life, they say:

#Engender25: Spotlight on Engender's international connections

#FeminismOnFilm: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Guest post: Period shaming is a serious problem

Gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals

Message from Jeane Freeman - Minister for Social Security

As you know we've been supporting women across Scotland to get involved in the Scottish Government's consultation on social security, and to make their voices heard on the experience panels that will help shape the new social security system in Scotland. Here is a message from the Minister for Social Security, Jeane Freeman MSP, following the publication of the Social Security (Scotland) Bill last week, to all women who have engaged in the process so far:

5 things you need to know about the Social Security (Scotland) Bill

The anticipation is over. Last week, the Scottish Government tabled its social security legislation. Below, our policy manager Emma Trottier gives you a quick rundown of what’s what in the Social Security (Scotland) Bill.

Gender matters in the criminal justice system: 5 years of progress?

Ahead of an event tonight at the Scottish Parliament, Engender's Policy Manager Emma Trottier reflects on the five years since the publishing of a report by the Commission on Women Offenders, and asks where Scotland stands on the issue of women in the criminal justice system.

When we look at the criminal justice system, it can be hard to know where to begin. It’s immense. We have the police, crown office, sentencers, the prison service, and community organisations, who all play a role in building and maintaining a just, peaceful and safe society. To slightly narrow our focus, we’re looking at women in the criminal justice system. In particular, we’re looking back over the last five years to see whether we’ve progressed in supporting women through and out of the criminal justice system.

Guest Post: #GE17 - Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party

Women's representation in politics is incredibly important. Only 33.9% of Scottish MPs elected in the last Westminster General Election were women. In the run up to the 2017 General Election on June 8, we'll be hosting a series of blogs from women involved in political campaigning. Today's blog is from Lorna Slater, an engineer and candidate for the Scottish Green Party in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.

One last chance to scrap the rape clause

Scottish women’s organisations make final appeal to House of Lords to scrap the 'rape clause'

Today, Engender are calling on a little-known House of Lords committee to re-examine the so called ‘rape clause’ which limits tax credits and the child element of Universal Credit to two children unless a third or subsequent child was the result of rape. In a letter to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee of the House of Lords, we've joined with Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid, to challenge the basis of the legislation itself, and the manner in which it was covertly passed using a procedure that avoided parliamentary debate.

Celebrating a feminist foremother

Guest Post: I care about……

Guest blog from Claire Cairns, coordinator of Coalition of Carers in Scotland

With the Scottish elections being held on the 5^th of May, Scotland will soon be gripped by election fever.