2021 candidates – what we know Yesterday was the deadline to submit all paperwork to officially appear on the Scottish Parliament 2021 election ballot papers. As we have done in every election since we launched in 2014, we are providing a break-down of the what we know regarding the demographic make-up of candidates. BUT as […]

Over the next few weeks there will be multiple hustings organised for you to meet with and quiz your candidates. Below are a few suggestions from us on questions you can ask to find out what your candidates think of quotas, of institutionalised sexism and racism and of online abuse: Do you support the Women

With the Scottish Parliament elections just weeks away, the attention has been on candidate selections and whether we will finally see a more diverse, representative debate chamber – we certainly need it. However, we need to take a moment to consider the significant number of MSPs standing down. Ahead of the 2016 election 24 MSPs

By Ruth Wilkinson (Research Placement Student from University of Strathclyde) In just a few months we will see the launch of party manifestos for the Holyrood elections. Maybe it’s a good idea to look at what the parties said last time – and the time before – and consider which of their objectives they actually

Women 50:50 and culture change in politics is the goal – equal representation for women in politics by numbers and cultures where all women, from marginalised backgrounds feel safe to fully participate. But how do we go about getting to the numbers at the very least? If it were going to happen of its own

This blog is written by Lorna Slater Laura Moodie from the Scottish Green Party: 2016 was a watershed year for women’s representation in politics and the Scottish Greens. It was the year we, like many parties, realised that the scratching-the-surface approaches of all-women short-lists, softly-softly encouragement and leaving the heavy lifting to women themselves simply

Every year, the Scottish Government publishes a Programme for Government setting out its plans and priorities for the coming year – the Holyrood equivalent of the Queen’s Speech, but with far less pomp and ceremony. When the Scottish Parliament was set up in 1999, it was with lots of input from feminist organisations, and the

My name is Dr Nighet Riaz and I am the equality officer for the SNP Pollokshields branch in Glasgow Scotland. I also hold a post of Approved Assessor, and have acted as a panel member on vetting panels to support applicants through the process to be considered as potential candidates in current and future elections,

By Talat Yaqoob, Chair and Co-Founder of Women 50:50 I don’t look at my ballot paper and automatically vote for a woman because she’s a woman. I vote based on my political beliefs; I vote for the candidate, and party they are attached to, based on their views and policies, and whether they will make

UK Local Government Associations: Joint Statement on Civility in Public Life. The intimidation and abuse of Councillors, in person or otherwise, undermines democracy; it can prevent elected members from representing the communities they serve, prevent individuals from standing for election and undermine public trust in democratic processes. These harmful behaviours, whether occurring towards, between or