Today the Women’s Equality Party reveals its manifesto for Scotland, ahead of the elections in May.

Party leader Sophie Walker will take to the streets of Edinburgh alongside the Women’s Equality Party’s Scottish candidates as part of a ‘faceless women calvacade’, marking the absence of female statues on Scotland’s streets.

“I will be walking with candidates Lee Chalmers and Anne Beetham between six key sites in Edinburgh, unveiling our manifesto policies at each location,” explains Walker.

“Currently, statues of animals outnumber those of women in the Scottish capital, and WE are here to say it’s time to stop sidelining women. Our manifesto for Scotland shows that we’re aiming to be real agents for change. It’s a robust and ambitious plan to tackle concerns that women have told us they want to see raised in Holyrood.”

The procession of anonymous women from history has been devised to draw attention to issues affecting Scottish women past and present, from domestic violence and abuse to the undervalued caregiving work done by women across the country.

“For too long women have been underrepresented in public life,” says Lee Chalmers, regional list candidate for Lothian said. “I’m running for Holyrood to address that imbalance. It is only by making sure that women are at the table that we can make gender equality a reality. In the media, government, local authorities and boards, women’s voices lead to better decisions for Scotland.”

Anne Beetham, regional list candidate for Glasgow, adds: “WE want Scotland to lead the way in achieving gender equality – I’ll be fighting for that by working at the highest level to tackle issues that exclude and hold back women in our society. Putting this right will benefit everyone.” 

The Women’s Equality Party Scotland manifesto covers seven key policy goals:

• WE will fight to establish equal pay and end the gender pay gap. WE will tackle the causes of the pay gap, including unpaid caregiving, across all types of work to ensure that all women are paid fairly for the work they undertake.
• WE will strive to create an equal footing for parents and caregivers, regardless of gender.  WE will work towards a Scotland where everyone can share opportunity and responsibility in the workplace and at home.
• WE will strive for an end to violence against women and girls, once and for all. Only through eradicating the scourge of gender violence can WE achieve true equality for women in Scotland.
• WE will campaign for equal representation in politics, business, industry and throughout working life. Women’s presence is needed in these spheres to ensure a better Scotland for everyone.
• WE will work hard to ensure that women’s representation in the media is positive, constructive and empowering. WE will press for women’s portrayal in the media to be addressed and work constructively towards a fair, gender balanced media landscape in Scotland.
• WE will promote an education system that creates opportunities for all children regardless of gender. We will work across parties and agencies in Scotland to promote an understanding of why gender equality matters.
• WE will push for women's voices to be at the heart of all government decisions and budgets, to ensure that they don't disadvantage women. WE will work to ensure gender balanced leadership from the highest levels of the Scottish Government to our local councils.

Click here to read the first Women's Equality Party manifesto for Scotland in full.

Published April 02, 2016