Practical guidance for equal participation and representation of women published by the Scottish Parliament

The development of Gender Sensitising Parliaments: A Practical Guide was led by academics from the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sarah Childs, Personal Chair of Politics and Gender, and Professor Meryl Kenny, Professor of Gender and Politics.

The Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, commissioned an audit, with participation from a cross-party group of MSPs and external experts, to assess its own progress towards being gender sensitive. The audit reported that, while the Parliament had made good progress, the equal representation of women was not yet embedded.

The Scottish Parliament Audit, A Parliament for All, recommended a package of changes that were designed to strengthen equal representation and participation of women and the mainstreaming of gender equality across the Parliament’s work, which the Scottish Parliament is working towards implementing. The development of a Practical Guide was one of the recommendations in the Audit.

The new Guide outlines core principles and practices of a gender sensitive parliament and sets out a six-step process to evaluate and enhance gender sensitivity in parliaments.

It also highlights the importance of a broad understanding of gender sensitivity, enthusiastic leadership, collaborative ethos, robust research, and institutional support in working towards equal participation and representation in parliaments.

Reflecting on the publication of the Guide, Presiding Officer Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, said:

“I am delighted to see The Guide published and would like to express my gratitude to Professor Childs and Professor Kenny for their work.”

“Research shows that the strength of democracy is improved by having greater diversity in our parliaments. When a parliament better reflects the communities it serves, better decisions are made.

“This guidance includes lessons from our Gender Sensitive Audit, which itself was informed by ground-breaking work from organisations across the globe. I hope it is useful and look forward to hearing of other legislatures’ experiences as they work towards equal participation and representation.”

Professor Sarah Childs said:

“More and more parliaments are undertaking gender sensitive audits. This can only be a good thing. This Guide provides lessons learned from the Scottish Parliament audit, which can help showcase why it matters, and how to undertake, a gender sensitive audit. We hope that it will encourage even more parliaments to embrace the principle and practices of gender sensitising parliaments.”

Professor Meryl Kenny said:

“Scotland is one of an increasing number of countries around the world committed to reforms that will gender sensitise its parliament. This Guide takes this ongoing work forward by sharing the Scottish Parliament’s experiences, and offering a practical route map to gender sensitising a parliament on the ground. A parliament that is inclusive of and responsive to women, in all their diversity, is a more representative and effective parliament."