DURING the Scottish referendum of 2014 there were questions around why women seemed reluctant to engage in the issues.
It was said that many of us were just too busy to participate as we juggled work and childcare and managed ever shrinking family budgets. We simply didn’t have time to read newspapers or get on to political websites.
But this General Election is making women feel much more engaged. Everywhere we are witnessing extreme social injustice. And we are angry. We are horrified by – or victims of – awful work contracts, unfair pay for part-time work, cruel welfare cuts, the need for food banks, and outrageous levels of child poverty. The list goes on and on. It’s not surprising we’ve become so political and are determined to make our voice heard.
READ MORE: More women back Yes movement because of Nicola Sturgeon, academic finds
In 2014, The Better Together campaign put out an unbelievably awful video claiming politics was not worth bothering about if you were a woman, and the right sort of homely, domestic-orientated woman would have more to do than waste time studying these boring issues. This cringe-worthy video became known as “Patronising Woman” and can still be seen on YouTube if you can bear to watch.
Recent research demonstrated that Nicola Sturgeon’s style of government and key policies are attracting women voters and making them feel valued. At last Friday’s TV debate she demonstrated her consummate skill as a politician. Thank goodness we have her as a role model. Women also admire Nicola Sturgeon’s responsible and ethical stance on Brexit. No wonder she’s been crowned Scottish Politician of the Year for a record fifth time.
When Women for Independence, Independence for Women carried out their analysis, they found women’s trust around Westminster politics had withered away. Right across Scotland, women have been joining WFI in droves. This pro-indy but non-party organisation can now boast a total of 38 groups. You can find WFI at www.womenforindependence.org. A Dumfries group, one of the latest to start up, has an active Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Dumfries/wfi.
In her book How Women Decide, Therese Huston found women were still dogged by deep-seated prejudices. Because we’re only just breaking the mould of male domination of public life, the professional world is a less comfortable place for women than it is for men. And women’s decisions are more closely scrutinised than men’s.
From 32 studies on whether women actually do make intuitive, capricious decisions, not one showed this. Several showed women were likely to be more analytical than men.
Neither do we fall apart and get emotional when stressed! Though we do suffer from what Huston calls “stereotype threat”. We fluff parking if a man is watching, cannot think straight around certain people, and go quiet in a meeting for fear we will be considered “stupid”. The book concludes that women are just as capable of making good decisions as men – and are frequently the best decision-makers of all.
Sheila Johnston
Dumfries
I HAD already agreed with everything Michael Russell said in his piece on the media in the Sunday National (Broadcasters have learned nothing when it comes to fairness, November 24), and also agreed with your Sunday editorial.
I have often ranted on Facebook to my friends on the same subject. It is quite disgusting the portrayal of Scotland on the front pages (and all the other pages too) by a compliant, capitalist, anti- European nasty pro-establishment Brit-Nat foreign-owned press, which flaunts itself with absolute complete impunity on our side of the border. The contempt with which Scotland has been treated, over the years, but especially after 10pm on September 18 2014, angers me and countless others.
READ MORE: Broadcasters have learned nothing when it comes to fairness
Alex Salmond tore down the “executive” sign and replaced it with Scottish Government within hours of our historic and definitive victory in 2007, yet we seem to have forgotten that lesson. On Euorpa on BBC Alba on the Sunday night programme we visited Denmark and learned how it was the happiest nation in the world. Loads of interviews and an in-depth look at how a neighbouring society works, and how happy they all are.
Is there nothing the present administration can show some backbone about, in the same spirit that Alex showed? If we are to legislate, as Michael suggests, then anti-Scottish political content should be looked at as offensive to Scotland and carry penalties and prohibitions for future security.
Roddy Maclean
Annan
DISNA Catriona Rigg o Embo ken at shae dings doun the tuin o hir pistill ti The National (Letters, November 25) whan shae inpits intilt hir sairie opeinioun at the guid Scots tung is the speik o the pleygrun? Sic havers winna perswad ithers ti leisten, hit anerlie gars thaim grue.
Iain WD Forde
Scotlandwell
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