Generation Equal: Scottish Government to be accountable for delivery of equality action plan

The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) has laid out its vision for the future in Scotland’s progress towards  gender equality, as it comes to the end of its initial three-year term. 

In a next steps report to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the NACWG has laid out the rationale for developing a model which sees it move into an accountability and scrutiny role for a further three years to push forward the implementation of the systemic changes required to tackle gender inequality in Scotland.

Since 2017, the NACWG has worked with communities, activists, academics, leaders of public services, and members of the public in Scotland to explore gender inequality and produce a package of recommendations to be taken forward collectively to deliver tangible systemic change.

All recommendations from the first two NACWG reports have been accepted by the First Minister, with feedback yet to be presented on the latest report, published in January 2021. 

The NACWG has been clear from inception that it didn’t anticipate continuing with its current model indefinitely and, given the scope of the NACWG’s recommendations to date, it has now advised that the repeated annual submission of further recommendations at this level would be unhelpful, without taking time to take stock and allow them to be implemented and the consequences analysed.

The system needs time to adapt – especially if wholly inclusive intersectional gender mainstreaming is to remain the end goal for Scotland.

In its next phase, the NACWG suggests building on and upscaling existing accountability practices to assess the progress of the implementation of the recommendations and ensure these are taken forward as intended. 

Co-chair Louise Macdonald OBE said: “The First Minister asked the NACWG to be bold and to challenge the government and public services, private sector and public where required – and that’s exactly what we’ve done with the ambitious recommendations set out in our annual reports.

“The first iteration of the NACWG has delivered a strong package of recommendations but now, to ensure we continue our work to make Scotland a gender equal society, we believe the subsequent phase should focus on the scrutiny of the development of these recommendations.

“Systemic change requires time for any recommendations to bed in and we are not advocating for the next iteration of the NACWG to become “part of the system”. Instead, our aim would be to have a degree of independent oversight of implementation and assess impact so that at the end of this period there is a clear understanding of the successes, any unintended consequences, and whether further work is required.”

Louise added: “We didn’t recommend quick fixes or tweaks, but systemic change and we thoroughly understand that care needs to be taken and careful attention paid to implementation. 

“Every member of the First Minister’s Advisory Council on Women and Girls has considered it a privilege and an honour to be part of this work. We are proud of what we have achieved – but that pride is matched with a certainty there is much more to do to realise the transformational impact our recommendations could deliver, and a belief that through collective will, effective collaboration and shared ambition gender inequality CAN become a historical curiosity in Scotland.”

The decision around the next steps and remit for this work going forward sits with the First Minister.

Report link: 

https://onescotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/590637_SCT0321216300-001_p1.pdf

It’s time to talk about women and girls’ mental health in Edinburgh

The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) is urging people in Edinburgh to get involved in the national conversation around tackling gender equality issues in relation to mental health.

Gender roles and expectations have particular mental health consequences for women and girls and the current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of these pressures. Unpaid care work, juggling work commitments and social media pressures are just some of the factors triggering more women and girls to suffer from anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self harm. 

The Advisory Council will examine what needs to change to offer greater support to women and girls and take a feminist approach to self-care as well as determine what actions are needed to improve gender equality in relation to mental health.

The NACWG was established in 2017 to play a leading role in raising the issue of gender inequality on Scotland’s agenda by drawing attention to a wide range of issues faced by women and girls. Putting a spotlight on a new theme on a bi-monthly basis, the Advisory Council aims to bring people together and create discussion on many issues still faced by women and girls in Scotland today.

The NACWG is putting a Spotlight on Mental Health until the end of December to understand the emotional and psychological challenges faced by women and girls, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Louise Macdonald OBE, Co-Chair of The NACWG, said: “While we have seen the stigma around discussing mental health decrease in recent years, things like access to support services remain an issue for many.

“Poor mental health can prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential, therefore, it’s important they feel supported,  particularly during these unprecedented times. 

“The Advisory Council is inviting groups, organisations and networks in Edinburgh, to share their experiences, opinions and ideas around the Mental Health Spotlight. Every bit of feedback will help to gather more insight and help to drive action in creating long-lasting change for women and girls in Scotland.”

To participate in this national conversation, groups, organisations and networks are encouraged to form a virtual Wee Circle to discuss issues surrounding inequalities in mental health and share ideas on how this can be tackled. 

Feedback from these Wee Circle discussions, as well as individual feedback, can be submitted online at onescotland.org/NACWG

Thoughts can also be shared on social media using the hashtag #GenerationEqual.

Have your say on gender and disability inequality

The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) is calling on Edinburgh residents to get involved in the national conversation on tackling gender inequality.

NACWG is encouraging the local community to join the movement and lend a voice in the latest discussion surrounding disability.

Disabilities affect more women and girls in Scotland than any other group. Women continue to face equality disadvantages resulting in negative impacts on their everyday life.

NACWG welcomes individuals of any gender and those who don’t identify within Edinburgh to bring real experiences and new voices to the Circle to help shape recommendations to the First Minister.

Areas the Council wish to examine include independent living, access to services and information, and participation in society.

Established in 2017, the Advisory Council was formed to drive action and play a leading role in raising gender inequality in Scotland. The Council aims to bring people together focusing on a new spotlight every two months to share ideas and opinions on different gender equality issues. The NACWG is putting a spotlight on disabilities until the end of February, outlining the barriers faced by disabled women.

To get involved, people can come together to form a ‘Wee Circle’ with family, friends or colleagues discussing ideas and views related to inequality for women and girls with disabilities, and submit their feedback online at onescotland.org/NACWG.

Alternatively, they can share their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #GenerationEqual.

The NACWG Chair, Louise Macdonald OBE, said: “Disabled women are often faced with double discrimination because of their gender which adds further challenges to their day to day lives.

“We encourage people across Edinburgh to share their views and experience, whether they themselves or someone they know is affected by these issues. Every opinion we gather contributes to shaping our recommendations to the First Minister, so we want and need to hear from as wide a range of people as possible. It is an opportunity for the people of Edinburgh to play a part in real and lasting change for everyone in Scotland.”

This call for input follows the publication of the NACWG’s second Report and Recommendations, in which it found that step change is necessary in Scottish policymaking to tackle gender inequality.

Over the course of 2019, the Advisory Council consulted a range of stakeholders of all ages and genders, and those that don’t identify, across the country, including businesses and third sector organisations in order to gather the evidence needed to develop the second report which focused on Policy Coherence.

These recommendations build on those made by The NACWG in its 2018 Report and Recommendations – of which, all eleven were subsequently accepted by Nicola Sturgeon – with the recommendations devised to work in tandem to drive forward the gender equality movement.

The NACWG 2019 report and recommendations can be found at: https://onescotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/NACWG-2019-Report-and-Recommendations.pdf