Latest publications

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:

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.