FRONT COVER

SCOTTISH LABOUR
WOMENS MANIFESTO
BOTH VOTES LABOUR

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

Scottish Labour was founded on the principles of equality and social justice. It is these founding
principles that guide us today. We want a Scotland where inequality is a problem of the past,
where rhetoric is met with real change and where everyone, regardless of their background
or abilities has a chance in life. We recognise that equality is not a single issue and that any
individual can experience multiple inequalities. Scotland deserves a Government that takes a
truly intersectional and inclusive approach to policy making. Scottish Labour is committed to
equality. We will put in place practical steps to make sure that tackling inequality is at the core of
all we do, through mainstreaming equality policies and introducing a long term plan to eradicate
inequality. We have a long term vision which acknowledges there are no quick fixes but commit
to exercising the political will to implement that plan. We will tackle equal pay, seek to end gender
based violence in Scotland and promote equal representation both in private and public bodies.

We will:
Appoint a Cabinet Secretary for Equalities.
Improve Equalities Impact Assessments ensuring they are completed at policy
inception.
Mainstream Equalities Training in the Public Sector.
Fully implement all 15 recommendations of the Independent Advisor on
Poverty and Inequality.
Incorporate international human rights obligations, including CEDAW.
Develop a strategy to tackle online-harassment relating to any protected
characteristic.
Improve equality training for front line social security support staff, especially
in the Work Programme.

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE WOMENS EQUALITY

We will challenge gender stereotypes at an early age and across all aspects of society. We will take on an
intersectional approach acknowledging diversity and the multiple challenges that people face. This has to
happen in a cross-cutting manner, ensuring all aspects of the public sector and government policies are
focused on tackling inequality.

Appoint a Cabinet Secretary for Equalities with a specific responsibility for mainstreaming gender
equality with Cabinet accountability.

Introduce a Gender Equality Bill which ensures gender mainstreaming and includes a statutory
requirement for gender budgeting across all policy areas.

Women and Opportunity

Women in Public life

To ensure that women get the same

opportunities as men we will tackle inequalities
from an early age. We need to make all
professions attractive to young people. While
we want to encourage more women into STEM,
we also value female dominated professions like
the caring sector. Childcare provision is a huge
barrier for women to enter work and Labour view
it as an economic, not just a social issue. We want
to see employers in the public and private sector
provide flexible working conditions in order to
support a diverse workforce.

Lack of widespread female representation across

all aspects of public life is both a symptom and
a cause of gender inequality. We will support
women in the public sphere and confront
negative stereotyping that re-enforce inequalities.

Our plan

We will develop a long-term plan on

childcare to create a universal system based
on:
- Flexibility that fits parent lives.
- Affordability.
- Well-trained, professional and
highly valued work-force.
We will tackle gender stereotyping in school
and early years through training for front
line staff including teachers, childcare
professionals, and career advisors. This will
be coupled with a duty to tackle inequalities
and a zero-tolerance approach to gender
stereotyping.
We will ensure that women in further and
higher education have equal maternity
rights.
We will ensure equal access to prevocational training, including modern
apprenticeships and investigate age and
gender discrimination in apprenticeships.
We will set up an occupational segregation
commission to drive and oversee these
goals and other efforts to tackle vertical and
horizontal occupational segregation.

Our plan

We will commit to 50:50 at all political levels

and public positions including taking an
intersectional approach when recruiting
candidates.
We will set up a Gender Media Institution,
and confront gender misrepresentations in
advertising.
We will develop a gender action plan
in politics, which set out a clear code
of conduct including zero tolerance to
derogatory and sexist language:
- Encourage women from all backgrounds
into politics, especially those in low paid
professions and ethnic minorities.
- Ensure accessibility for events including
providing childcare.
- Develop political women only training
and events.
We will create a cross-party womens
movement such as a womens caucus or
CPG.
We will promote female role models in
STEM, business and within the Trade Union
movement.

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

Women and the economy

Women and Justice

Gender inequality is an economic issue,

and tackling low pay in female dominated
employment is an economic priority. We need
to ensure all industries are actively tackling
discrimination and supporting women, including
ensuring equal pay.

Women face particular challenges, both as

victims and as perpetrators of crime. Sending
more and more women to jail isnt working. It
has a devastating impact on families that can
last for generations. There are still gaps in our
legislation that do not fully protect women from
gender based violence. We need to do more to
tackle domestic abuse and the issue of sexual

Too often women are still primarily responsible

for caring, both for children and adults, and
penalised for it, not just in earnings, but in
pension rights. Additionally, current welfare
changes impact disproportionally on women. This

exploitation.

Our plan

needs to be reversed.

Our plan

We will create a duty on all public bodies

to tackle gender inequality in the Scottish
economy.
We will use new welfare powers to support
women and help them back to work.
We will tackle maternity discrimination and
support women re-entering the workplace
through working with employers to create fast
track promotion schemes, re-training and the
right to flexible working.
We will promote shared responsibilities
especially promoting shared parental leave at
all levels.
We will pursue a sectoral approach to tackling
low-pay, and put equal value on female
dominated professions like care.
We will provide better support to carers
including uplifting and increasing the flexibility
of care allowance.
We will create a family friendly business pledge,
including having all senior jobs advertised as
part-time or jobshares.
We will use the new powers of the Scottish
Parliament to top up the pensions of women
born between 1951 and 1953 so they are no
worse off than men of the same age and we
will carry on fighting for other women who
have been affected by Tory pension changes
for better transitional arrangements are
implemented.
We will consider mandatory gender pay audits
for employers who do not deliver on equal pay.

We will continue to support Equally Safe and

make its implementation a national priority.
We will introduce comprehensive legislation
to tackle all forms of gender based violence,
especially around commercial sexual
exploitation.
We will introduce specific domestic abuse
courts within Scotlands sheriff courts so that
dealing with these serious crimes is a priority.
As part of this reform, we will consult and bring
forward a Bill which sets domestic abuse as a
specific offence.
We will create a 5 year funding stream for
equalities that focuses on prevention and
support services.
We will remove means testing for legal aid in
domestic abuse cases.
We will introduce a right to sex and relationship
education for all children, ensuring every child
is taught about consent.
We will create a national framework for PSHE
education which focuses on preventing gender
based violence and tackling wider inequalities.
We will incorporate tackling gender based
violence.
We will aim to tackle commercial sexual
exploitation by challenging demand and by
supporting those involved. This will have a
three-pronged framework: criminalising the
buying of sex, decriminalising people involved
in prostitution, and providing long-term
support and exiting services for those exploited
through prostitution within teacher training and
provide support for external experts to deliver
programs in schools.
We will create a duty on all education
bodies, including universities and colleges, to
prevent gender based violence and gender
discrimination on campus.
We will aim to halve the population of
women prisoners and will implement the
recommendations of the Angiolini Commision
on Women Offenders.

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

Women and Health

We need to ensure that health and social care
services understand gender inequalities have
a detrimental effect on womens physical and
mental health. It is vital that efforts to tackle
inequality are embedded within health provision.
Approaches to reproductive health and sexual
wellbeing need to address the existing barriers
that women face.

Our plan

We will ensure a consistent approach across

all departments by acknowledging gendered
issues in access to healthcare.
We will improve mental health services
ensuring a gendered approach, including
support for trauma caused by abuse and
sexual assaults.
We will continue to take action on Female
Genital Mutilation ensuring that whilst we
ensure cultural respect, the protection
and empowerment of women is of critical
importance.
We believe that standing up against womens
inequality means standing up for womens
rights. Scottish Labour is committed to
ensuring equal access, irrespective of
geographical location, to contraceptive
advice, family planning services and abortion
services. We have no plans to change the law
on abortion.
We will review specialist services for women
who suffer miscarriages and fertility issues
ensuring that their wishes are taken into
account.

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO

Printed & Promoted by Brian Roy, Scottish General Secretary, Scottish Labour Party, 290 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4RE

SCOTTISH LABOUR WOMENS MANIFESTO