Latest publications

Engender Response to the Scottish Government Consultation on the Mitigation of the Two-Child Limit

Apr 24, 2025: We strongly welcome the Scottish Government's action to mitigate the harmful and discriminatory two-child cap in Scotland. The two-child limit does not account for women’s fundamental rights to reproductive autonomy, religious and conscientious views on the use of contraception, the fallibility of contraception, bereavement, family breakdown, new relationships and blended families, economic uncertainty and countless other factors that shape women’s lives. The policy also ignores realities about women’s choices in pregnancy, as domestic abuse commonly includes elements of reproductive coercion. The delivery of a mitigation payment is a vital opportunity to address child poverty and women’s poverty via social security support.

Date of publication: April 2025

Joint Response from Close the Gap, Engender and Scottish Women’s Aid to the call for evidence on the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026-2031

Apr 4, 2025: As national strategic women’s organisations, Close the Gap, Engender and Scottish Women’s Aid welcome the opportunity to provide expertise on the urgent change needed to meet the child poverty targets. Central to this is delivering targeted interventions to reduce women’s poverty, and particularly those who are most marginalised including disabled women, domestic abuse victim-survivors, single parents, racially minoritised women, migrant women, and women with no recourse to public funds.

Date of publication: March 2025

Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls in Scotland

Mar 21, 2025: This is a research report by Kathryn Ramsay, independent research consultant, commissioned by Engender as part of work on their Delivering Equally Safe project, exploring good practice and missed opportunities in approaches to primary prevention across Scotland.

Engender Response to the Equality, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee call for evidence on the Public Sector Equality Duty

Mar 13, 2025: The PSED is currently not fit for purpose in bringing equality concerns to the heart of public sector work. Nor are public bodies adequately supported to improve outcomes for people with protected characteristics and to fulfil their obligations under the law. Alongside sector colleagues we have advocated for reform for many years. We are calling on the Scottish Government to revisit proposals on PSED reform, to expand the duties so that outcomes for people with protected characteristics are improved.

Development Officer (Equal Representation) Maternity Cover

Mar 13, 2025: This role will lead on the development and delivery of Engender’s Equal Representation project. The post-holder will identify opportunities to influence policy and practice and advocate for changes within political parties, democratic institutions and wider culture that will enable greater representation and participation of women in all their diversity.

Seventh periodic report of the government of the United Kingdom on measures taken to give effect to ICESCR Updated Shadow Report

Mar 10, 2025: This is Engender's updated shadow report to the 7th periodic report of the UK Government to the UN's Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This shadow report is supported by Abortion Rights Scotland, Age Scotland, Amina MWRC, Back Off Scotland, Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, CEMVO Scotland, Close the Gap, Coalition of Carers in Scotland, Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, Cyrenians, Equality Network, Equate Scotland, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, Human Rights Consortium Scotland, Humanist Society Scotland, Inclusion Scotland, Just Fair, JustRight Scotland, Marie Curie Scotland, MECOPP, One Parent Family Scotland, Oxfam, the Poverty Alliance, Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Scottish Trans, Scottish Women’s Aid, Scottish Women’s Budget Group, Scottish Women’s Convention, The Young Women’s Movement, and Zero Tolerance.

Date of publication: March 2025.

Engender response to the Scottish Government Consultation on the Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy

Feb 19, 2025: This is a response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy. Introducing a mainstreaming strategy is a welcome step in realising the Scottish Government's commitment to eradicating intersectional gender inequality in Scotland. However, we are concerned that the strategy presented in the consultation is extremely high-level in its focus. It is also mostly aimed externally at supporting public bodies with mainstreaming approaches and lacks focus on the detailed change required internally within the Scottish Government.

Date of publication: February 2025

Engender response to the Scottish Labour Policy Forum consultation

Feb 19, 2025: The 2026 Holyrood Election is a chance for Scottish Labour to show meaningful commitment to women’s equality and for the party to be bold in creating a manifesto that will improve their lives materially. We ask that Scottish Labour ensure that their proposed policies recognise and actively address the deep fault lines of intersectional gender equality, which are alive and well in Scotland.

Date of publication: January 2025.

Engender response to the Scottish Labour Policy Forum consultation

Jan 30, 2025: The 2026 Holyrood Election is a chance for Scottish Labour to show meaningful commitment to women’s equality and for the party to be bold in creating a manifesto that will improve their lives materially. We ask that Scottish Labour ensure that their proposed policies recognise and actively address the deep fault lines of intersectional gender equality, which are alive and well in Scotland.

Date of publication: January 2025.

Engender Annual Report 2023-2024

Jan 14, 2025: This annual report sets out the work that Engender has been doing over 2023-24 to ensure that women's equality remains at the heart of policy-making in Scotland.

This annual report contains a welcome from Engender's convener Lucy Mulvagh and provides updates on all areas of work, staffing, governance and finances.

Date of publication: January 2024.