Today is International Women’s Day, a day of celebration and activism around the world. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, and it is fitting, because when it comes to fairness in society, we have a long way to go.
Women for Independence has campaigned for a decade on creating a human-rights-based, Independent Scotland. One where the intersectionalities of discrimination are understood and addressed in policy.
We have stopped the development of a women’s ‘superprison’, campaigned for justice reform, campaigned for better access to abortion, and collected our members views on the proposed National Care Service. Our current campaign focuses on the cost-of-living crisis, which disproportionately affects women. All of this, while campaigning for an independent Scotland. For us, independence and human rights go hand in hand.
We are seeing attacks on women’s rights both here and globally, and the impact of the pandemic, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis means that some of the progress made has slipped backwards or stalled.
In these times, collective effort and a clear vision for a better future are more crucial than ever.
Our aims are set out in our Womanifesto and we’d encourage you to read it. It holds the collective principles of thousands of Independence-seeking women from across Scotland.
As a wee taster, here are some of the ways we think Scotland should #EmbraceEquity.
- Women and girls should know their rights and be able to defend them.
- Women and girls should be able to live without harassment, abuse or misogyny, and should be taken seriously when they report it.
- Women’s work and care work should be seen as central to the economy.
- Women should be able to access appropriate reproductive healthcare, from abortion to pregnancy, to support with gynaecological conditions, at the point of need and with dignity.
- The economy should deliver as well for women and girls as it does for men.
- Caring roles should be considered in every element of employment.
- Health, nutritious food should be affordable for all.
- Migrants should be welcomed to Scotland and their contributions valued, and families should be united.
Written down, these don’t seem like big asks. But nationally and globally, even the ones we thought we’d won are being rolled back. Some states in the US have made abortion completely illegal, and the same right-wing groups campaigning there are gaining traction here. Gynaecological issues are routinely dismissed or made light of by healthcare professionals. Abuse and misogyny, particularly online, are much more prevalent. Carers are struggling even more than they were, after two years of pandemic where they bore the heavy weight of care in isolation. The gender pay gap still means women are effectively not paid for a full month every year compared to men in the same roles. Women’s work is often invisible, unpaid and undervalued.
But here’s the thing; we can change all that. Women’s rights have advanced in the past century, and some positive policy has come from the Scottish Government in the last decade. The Scottish Child Payment is a gamechanger, public bodies are required to work toward having a gender-balanced board, and expansion of early years care provides opportunity to working parents.
We’ve a long way to go, but we are on the road, and we are only going to get to the destination in an independent Scotland. You can donate to help us continue our work, or join the journey here.
About the author: Lisa-Marie Hughes is SNP Councillor for Renfrew North & Braehead and a member of Women for Independence. She’s passionate about feminism, healthcare, disability rights and supporting her local community. When she takes a rest from activism she’s most likely to be found at a book festival or leafing through the booty from a local bookshop.