📢 If we want women to stay in politics, we have to fix the conditions that are driving them away. See exclusive coverage of our new report on why women MSPs are standing down & how we can tackle it in @scotnational.bsky.social. Read the full piece here: www.thenational.scot/news/2611801...

📰 Research shows record number of women MSPs standing down ahead of election 5 main reasons women MSPs gave were: 1️⃣ Work/Life balance 2️⃣ Length of time away from family 3️⃣ Demands on time beyond working hours 4️⃣ Misogynist abuse 5️⃣ Threats to safety Read more here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/re...

Help us reach 1000 members. Lets change the act together! SIGN UP HERE: www.letschangetheact.co.uk/involved-mem... #DecriminaliseAbortion #LetsChangeTheAct @letschangetheact @engenderscot.bsky.social

📢 Our latest research shows that 40% of women MSPs have chosen not to stand for re-election. Steps for action: 📈 Increase women's participation & retention 🚫 Tackle VAWG, misogyny & abuse 🏛️ Balance family life & work 💬 Build long-term culture change Read more: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/re...

UPDATE: A technical issue with our website that was causing issues with emails to candidates has been fixed. If you tried to send an email over the weekend, please give it another go!

Will your local candidates commit to investing in women? Ahead of the election on 7 May, we need your help to call on candidates to transform women’s lives by tackling women’s deep financial insecurity head-on. 👉🏻 Head to our website now to email your candidates: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/ho...

Earlier this month, our membership came together for our AGM & to consider our Annual Report. It gave us a rare opportunity to take stock of our work & what we’ve achieved over the last year. We'd like to say a huge thank you to our members, followers, & everyone we've collaborated with 🧵⬇

The Scottish Parliament elections are on 7 May. Key dates: Register to vote by 20 April Apply for a postal vote by 21 April Apply for a proxy vote by 28 April If your details being on the electoral register could put you at risk, you can register anonymously. Register: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

ICYMI, we recently held our annual conference on primary prevention of VAWG in Scotland. We need to see strong leadership on gender inequality & VAWG in the next parliament, & parties must ensure policy is well designed & delivered for women & girls. More here: www.thenational.scot/news/2595486...

We know that our mental & physical health are intertwined, so why does the Scottish Government approach tackle them separately? In this guest blog, Linda Gask explores the need for a coordinated approach to women’s physical & mental health. Read it here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/wh...

The evidence is clear that investing in women’s equality & improving the lives of marginalised people reaps huge benefits for our communities. Scotland’s cost of living crisis is causing profound harm to women & increasing their risk of living in poverty. ⬇

Help us help build a Scotland where women & girls thrive this IWD. To mark #IWD2026, we've commissioned illustrator Heedayah Lockman to create this artwork inspired by our manifesto for the May election. See our manifesto & support our work for women's equality: www.engender.org.uk/holyrood-2026/

We need the next Scottish Govt to commit to investing in our public services to improve women’s lives. Women rely more on public services & make up the majority of the public sector workforce. Women are disproportionately impacted by how public services function & are hardest hit by cutbacks ⬇

This International Women's Day, we've got a wee treat for Engender members & supporters. We’re giving away limited edition free feminist prints to mark IWD - we've got 250 to give away to Engender members, & another 100 up for grabs 👇 Claim your free print here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/fr...

We're continuing our series exploring 10 vital areas from our manifesto for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election, highlighting how women's unequal access to power remains a fundamental obstacle to gender equality with women comprising just 35% of local councillors & 45% of MSPs in Scotland ⬇

What does the 2026 Holyrood election mean for women's equality? Join national women's orgs & campaign groups on 30th March at 7pm for a hustings with representatives from political parties answering your questions on issues impacting women in Scotland. Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hustings-f...

We can create a Scotland where women's enormous contribution to our communities is valued both socially & economically. Our manifesto highlights how the disproportionate burden of caring responsibilities women carry continues to be unrecognised & undervalued xx

Our manifesto for the upcoming May election contains 10 vital areas where action would improve the lives of the most marginalised in our communities. For too long, women in Scotland have had to settle for a system of abortion law that doesn’t put their needs, health & rights first. ⬇

A creative CEDAW workshop today with @engenderscot.bsky.social & @scottishtuc.bsky.social women’s committee. Working collaboratively with trade union women to help shape Engender’s report to the UN and hold the UK to account for gender inequality ✊

Today, the Bill to end the two-child limit begins progress in the UK Parliament. We’ve joined 65 orgs across the UK to ask MPs to support the Bill. It's vital that the UK Govt ensures the swift passage of the Bill through Parliament & prioritises measures to lift women & children out of poverty.

To mark #ReclaimTheEconomyWeek we're highlighting the economy ask from our manifesto for the May election. Despite the vast potential to improve women's lives, our national economic strategy does not take an intersectional, gendered approach to economic development. ⬇ @weallscotland.bsky.social

💭 How do we build bridges to cross the increasing divide between young women & men? Our latest guest blog is by Matilda Fairgrieve, interrogating Gen Z’s socially active image & sharing her perspective as part of a digitally divided generation. 🔗 Read it here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/gu...

Our series exploring the 10 vital areas from our manifesto for the May election continues, highlighting how women’s access to safe, secure & affordable housing in Scotland is significantly impacted by gender inequality ⬇

We're starting the year by sharing the asks from our manifesto for the May election. Women in Scotland still wait longer for pain medication, are more likely than men to have physical symptoms attributed to mental health issues, have heart disease misdiagnosed, & become disabled after a stroke ⬇

We're starting 2026 by focusing on each of the 10 vital areas covered in our manifesto for the Scottish election in May. Gender inequality is not inevitable. To see a Scotland where women & girls achieve their full potential, the next Scottish Govt must design policy to meet women's needs. ⬇

We're sharing a look at our recent research on women’s experiences in politics & how parties in Scotland are using positive action measures. If we want to see gender equal representation become a reality at future elections, work must begin now. Read more here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/we...

We desperately need quotas and positive action measures for women and other underrepresented groups in politics in Scotland. www.engender.org.uk/content/publ... New paper from @engenderscot.bsky.social based on research by myself, Rhianna and Talat from the collective.

A Scotland without violence against women & girls is possible. We're sharing 3 easy actions you can take to help local & national efforts to end VAWG. Read our #16DaysOfActivism briefing for MSPs & find out more about our work on primary prevention here: www.engender.org.uk/content/publ...

🎉 TODAY’S THE DAY — Our Patreon is LIVE! 💜 We’re launching the Protests & Suffragettes Patreon because we believe Scotland deserves a future where women’s histories are visible, celebrated, and impossible to ignore. Join TODAY (Launch Day!) for a 40% discount From 3–11 December: 25% off 🔗 in bio!

📢 Women, their families, & campaigners have waited far too long for this day. Today’s Autumn UK Budget announced that the two-child limit & barbaric associated ‘rape clause’ will be fully scrapped from April 2026. xx xx

Today marks the start of #16DaysOfActivism, the annual campaign calling for action on gender-based violence. Head to our website to find out how primary prevention of VAWG can help build a Scotland where women & men have equal access to rights, resources, decision-making & safety.

Today we've joined over 100 organisations in calling for the UK government to fully scrap the cruel two-child limit. We've waited long enough. Acting swiftly to support women & their families impacted by the limit is crucial. Find out more & read the letter here: cpag.org.uk/news/107-org...

📢 Women bring essential perspectives to politics, but are still being pushed to the margins. Our new report reveals the barriers women face & how parties can take action to get more women elected. Check out the report here & read more below ⬇: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

🗳️ We're sharing the final part of our interview series exploring women's political journeys. In this last clip, Edinburgh candidate Sally Donald talks about the challenges & impacts of online abuse & what it's like to stand as a woman political candidate.

🗳 Nominations are now open for elections to Engender’s Board of Directors! 🗳 To nominate yourself, you must have become an Engender member by 16th October 2025. 🗓 Nomination deadline is 9am, Monday, 10th Nov. ➡ Find out more & access the nomination form here: www.engender.org.uk/jobs/?jobid=18

📢 Change for the better happens when people stand together & demand it. Join us & others from across the women's movement next Saturday at the Scotland Demands Better March in Edinburgh - look out for our banner near the ponds on Horse Wynd from 10.30am. #WeDemandBetter @povertyalliance.org

📢From carers to firefighters, from Dundee to the Borders, we are standing together to demand change.✊ Join us this Saturday 25th October as we march together for a Scotland free from the injustice of poverty. #WeDemandBetter. Join us: www.scotland-demands-better.com

Women in Scotland need the Scottish Government to take bold action to tackle misogyny at a time of increasing threats to women's safety both online & on our streets. Read our response to the consultation on adding 'sex' to the Hate Crime & Public Order Act here: www.engender.org.uk/content/publ...

'If you don't see yourself, don't wait - just be the first person there.' Aberdeenshire Councillor @fatima-joji.bsky.social shares her experiences of standing for election & the need to improve our political systems. Read our report on women in politics here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

📝 We’ve signed - have you? We're proud to stand with over 200 women & organisations across Scotland who have signed the Women Against the Far Right Scotland open letter, rejecting the far right’s racist lies about “protecting” women & girls. 🧵⬇

Hear more from Falkirk Councillor Laura Murtagh in our interview series accompanying our latest report exploring women's political journeys & what it's like to stand as a candidate. Stay tuned to see more in the series soon & read more about the report here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

Today Aberdeenshire Councillor @fatima-joji.bsky.social shares her experiences of being a woman in politics ⬇ Our report highlights the barriers & challenges women face & outlines actions needed to improve our political systems. Find out more: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

📣 If you work in film exhibition in Scotland, the @emcc-scotland.bsky.social wants to hear your views on gender equity in the sector - take the survey before 17th October ⬇

TFN is @scvo.scot's magazine for the #VoluntarySector With next year’s crucial #Holyrood #elections moving ever closer, we hear about a report published by Engender urging reform to enable more women to become politicians Available to read here: buff.ly/ntybgci @engenderscot.bsky.social

📢 Women across Scotland have been sharing their experiences with us in a national series of workshops discussing their rights & where they most need change.

Correction: Apologies for the wee mistake in last week's Friday Feminist Five newsletter - the @abortionrightsscot.bsky.social International Safe Abortion Day event is happening on 28th September from 11.45am ⬇

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We welcome @engenderscot.bsky.social's manifesto, in which they seek to fix Scotland's broken and biased housing system to ensure all women have access to a safe, secure and affordable home. #HousingEmergency

We are increasingly alarmed at the way women’s rights and safety are being weaponised to demonise minorities across the UK. This kind of distortion of the facts only causes harm to individuals and communities and does nothing to end violence against women and girls.

Read here- www.thenational.scot/news/2542174...