EVERY year I look forward to International Women’s Day. It gives me the perfect platform from which to raise awareness of the changes which need to happen to ensure women can claim their rightful place in society.
I’ve been an MSP for almost 12 years and in terms of gender equality I do see big differences. And I see how more can be done.
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Only last week I heard two Primary 4 pupils arguing over which of them would become “the next Nicola Sturgeon”. I love that there are so many female role models in politics these days – not just here in Scotland but around the world.
I am immensely proud Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to have a gender-balanced Cabinet – at the time one of only three in the world. In addition our First Minister started a mentoring project for young women to help them achieve their goals while encouraging other women in influential positions to the same.
We have also taken bold action to make it law that our public boards should have 50% women’s representation. These are important and real steps forward in achieving equality and having our government and our boards represent the society we live in.
These days more and more women and girls believe they can achieve whatever they set out to do. The Scottish Government wants every girl to have the opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. And that means taking action across government.
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We have taken forward numerous measures in this regard – supporting women in sport, being the first country in the world to provide free sanitary products to all students, and taking action to end violence against women and girls.
The latter is an issue we take extremely seriously. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 passed last year, covers not just physical abuse, but other forms of psychological abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. These cases have historically been difficult to prosecute, so this law, which comes into effect next month, represents a step change in improving access to justice for women and girls.
The First Minister also established the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) in 2017, and their report in December last year had a number of recommendations for the Scottish Government and others to work towards. I am delighted it is my portfolio’s responsibility to ensure that all of the 11 recommendations are given the priority they deserve.
At the heart of the Advisory Council’s report is the ambition to use systemic change to challenge embedded attitudes regarding gender stereotyping, to help deliver culture change.
At school, in further education and in employment, we need to achieve equality. So the NACWG suggestion that we create an institute to develop approaches to achieving this and be a place where public sector, third sector and businesses can access tools to bring about change, is an exciting one.
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Yesterday the First Minister outlined details of the first gender pay gap action plan, aimed at reducing inequalities in the workplace by 2021. There are more than 50 actions included – among them, increasing opportunities for flexible working, supporting women returning to work after a career break and providing support for women during the menopause. The gender pay gap in Scotland is now the lowest on record and lower than the UK as a whole but we want to make even more progress.
There are many ways in which we are working to create a fairer Scotland – for everyone in our society. Tackling poverty is a priority of course. We want people to have sufficient income to buy the things they need whether that’s food, fuel or sanitary products.
We’ve introduced free financial health checks to help people maximise their income, we’re committed to lifting at least 25,000 more people on to the Living Wage, and we’re investing £12 million on helping parents into work. With women disproportionately affected by poverty, this is a real step forward.
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Balance for Better”. It calls for action to drive progress towards gender equality throughout society, whether in the boardroom, government, media or in terms of wealth and pay. A fully gender-balanced society is better for all of us because it is essential for economies and communities to thrive.
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