Leading female Scottish politicians get behind new Girlguiding and Women 50:50 campaign
Girlguiding Scotland and Women 50:50 have launched a new campaign to create a more equal future for girls and young women in Scotland.
Citizen Girl, which has the backing of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, former Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson, aims to empower girls of all ages to explore why their voice matters and encourage more to consider becoming political leaders.
Girlguiding Scotland hopes it’s near 50,000 members age 5 to 25 will take on the challenge and explore themes of equality and representation through fun activities – from building their own edible parliament to holding their own Citizen Girl summit.
Citizen Girl follows recent research by Girlguiding which highlights that, despite recent progress, girls continue to feel under-represented in politics with more than one in two girls age 11-21 saying politicians don’t understand the issues facing girls and young women today, while over half think political parties should make sure 50% of all their politicians are female.
The same research also highlighted the impact persistent gender stereotypes continue to have, with more than half of girls age 7 to 21 saying these stereotypes impact some aspect of their lives including their ability to say what they think, how they behave with their peers and even how likely they are to speak up in class.
Citizen Girl aims to challenge the stereotypes that can hold girls back from speaking out and engaging in politics and inspire a new generation to take the lead, now, and in the future.
As part of the charity’s celebrations to mark Scotland’s Year of Young People and the 100th anniversary since the first women gained the right to vote in the UK, Girlguiding Scotland is calling for political parties to commit to gender equality by putting forward 50% female candidates in local, Scottish and UK elections.
It also wants politicians at all levels to consult with young people on all of the decisions that impact their lives and for businesses, public bodies and voluntary organisations to commit to increasing female representation in management.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Organisations such as Girlguiding Scotland play a vital role in ensuring that the voices of young women and girls are heard and acted on.
“Citizen Girl is an initiative that I warmly welcome. It will create new opportunities for girls and young women to shine locally and nationally.
“The Scottish Government is committed to tackling gender inequality and celebrating the many and valued contributions of young women and girls, in Scotland.”
Labour MSP and Women 50:50 co-founder Kezia Dugdale said: “A century on from some women receiving the vote for the first time, women remain under-represented in positions of influence in Scotland, giving them unequal access to power, decision-making and participation throughout public life. That simply has to change.
“I’m delighted to back the Citizen Girl initiative, and I look forward to engaging with the next generation of female leaders and encouraging them to use their voices to speak up.
“I am proud of Labour’s approach to candidate selection, but all political parties still need to make further progress on this issue, particularly at local authority level, because we can’t wait 100 more years for gender equality."
Ruth Davidson said: “The first women to win the vote did so 100 years ago and this anniversary affords us the chance to see how far we’ve come – and how far we’ve still got to go.
“Gender blind recruitment and promotion, closing the gender pay gap and empowering more female leaders are some of the essential next steps.
“I congratulate Girlguiding Scotland on the launch of Citizen Girl – every young woman should feel empowered to find her own voice and this campaign will help achieve that."
