Latest publications

Engender Parliamentary Briefing Uniting Local and National Efforts, Across Sectors to End Violence Against Women and Girls

Dec 2, 2025: This is a briefing for MSPs sent ahead of the Scottish Government debate on ending VAWG, which is being held during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. This year’s 16 Days campaign comes at a time in Scotland when VAWG is occurring at endemic levels, and equality and women’s rights are increasingly under threat. We need all MSPs to unite to ensure that debate and discussion about how to eradicate VAWG is based on evidence and rooted in international human rights. At Engender, we know that eradicating VAWG can only be achieved by investing in primary prevention. Primary prevention focuses on stopping VAWG before it occurs by addressing its root cause: gender inequality. This requires coordinated action across all levels and areas of government, as well as all relevant sectors, to ensure that preventing VAWG is understood as everyone’s responsibility.

Date of publication: December 2025.

Beyond Promises: What works in getting more women elected

Oct 27, 2025: Engender’s new report ‘Beyond Promises: What works in getting more women elected’ explores the use and impact of gender quotas and other Positive Action Measures (PAMs) in Scottish political parties’ candidate selection processes. It shows that consistent use of these tools leads to better representation, but also that tokenism, cultural resistance, and lack of intersectionality continue to hold us back.

Date of publication: October 2025.

Engender’s response to the Scottish Government Consultation on a draft SSI to add ‘sex’ as a protected characteristic to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021

Oct 15, 2025: We are deeply concerned that the Scottish Government has chosen to suspend plans for more comprehensive legal reform that would enhance redress for misogyny offences, instead opting for the lesser approach of amending the Hate Crime Act to include sex. This significant change in direction is particularly difficult to understand, as evidence demonstrates clearly that adding sex or gender as a category to hate crime law will not be effective or adequate in addressing the gendered violence and the misogyny that women and girls are increasingly facing.

Date of publication: October 2025

Engender Annual Account April 2023 - March 2024

Oct 15, 2025: Engender's Annual Accounts for the financial year April 2023-March 2024

Investing in Women, Transforming Communities. Engender's Manifesto 2026.

Aug 26, 2025: Our manifesto calls on all political parties and candidates to commit to policies that will transform women’s lives, particularly those of the most marginalised and minoritised in our communities.

We believe that if the next Scottish Government shapes its policies and investment to meet the needs of the most marginalised women in Scotland, then our whole society will benefit.

To secure this vision, we need an ambitious range of action, and our manifesto outlines 10 goals for achieving a fairer, more equal Scotland in the next Parliament.

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Aug 14, 2025:

Women’s Political Journey: Exploring the election process and women’s experiences of abuse, exclusion and bias

Jul 14, 2025: Engender’s new report ‘Women’s Political Journey’ explores the candidate journey—from preparing to stand as a candidate, including all the interview and vetting processes, to being elected and what happens after. Change needs to happen, so we urge political parties, governments, councils, and other stakeholders to implement measures and commit to equal and diverse representation. I want to see at least 50% women in our parliaments—for that to happen, we need to see a real culture change first.

Date of publication: July 2025.

Primary Prevention and Public Policy Spotlight: Planning

Jun 26, 2025: This mini-briefing sets out the steps to achieving a primary prevention approach in planning, and highlighting that it is essential that our public spaces are inclusive and accessible to address women’s inequality and prevent VAWG once and for all.

Applying a primary prevention approach requires policymakers to actively address gender inequality and promote women’s safety in all areas of public policy, including planning.

Date of publication: June 2025.

Engender Submission of Supplementary Evidence to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee on the Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill

Jun 19, 2025:

Police Scotland NPCC Letter

Jun 19, 2025: