International Women's Day
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S1M-557, in the name of Patricia Ferguson, on International Women's Day. The debate will be concluded, without any question being put, after half an hour. I invite members who wish to speak to press their request-to-speak buttons now, or as soon as possible, so that we can see how many members would like to take part. I see that it is a goodly number.
I ask members who are not staying to leave quietly.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that 8 March is celebrated as International Women's Day, recognises the important contribution made by women to all aspects of Scottish life and, in doing so, acknowledges the progress made towards women's equality and the need to ensure that any programme of government responds to the aspirations of women.
All the male members of the Parliament are welcome to stay for the debate.
As members know, today is International Women's Day—a day that women throughout Scotland and much of the rest of the world will celebrate as their day. It is also the 90th year in which we have celebrated International Women's Day, which was first suggested by Clara Zelkin at the Socialist Women's International in 1910.
Our celebrations will take many forms and will highlight the diversity of women's lives and experiences by bringing together women from different cultures. A number of events are going on in my constituency—which is not surprising, given that we have a female MP, a female MSP and several female councillors. I was very pleased to open the Possilpark International Women's Day event, which took place this morning. I would also like to mention the Ruchill and Milton unemployed and community resource centres celebrations—events that are going off with some style. My friend Sandra Macdonald in Aberdeen has also asked me to mention her event, but I promise that it will be the last one that I will mention.
Today, for one day only, buildings on Glasgow University's campus—in Pauline McNeill's constituency—that bear the names of famous men will be renamed in honour of their less celebrated but equally remarkable sisters.
Half the members of the Scottish Labour group in this Parliament are women—a proportion that I hope will go up shortly. I had not planned to refer to the by-election, but as many other members have done so, I thought that I would. Given the proportion of Labour members who are women and the fact that just over one third of the total membership of the Scottish Parliament is female, it seems fitting that we, too, should mark International Women's Day. I hope that we can use the debate to celebrate the contribution of women to the life of Scotland, and to recognise that there is still much to be done.
What has the Scottish Parliament done for women? It has made available additional resources over the next three years to help local authorities to implement the child care strategy. Through the new opportunities fund, it is helping to create additional out-of-school care places for Scotland's children. It is also funding a programme that assists families in rural areas with their child care needs. In women's health—an area that is near to my heart—it is committed to creating an additional 80 one-stop breast clinics by 2002 and has issued new guidelines to general practitioners to help to speed up the diagnosis of breast cancer. Child health and maternal health, too, have been made a top priority, and initiatives have been introduced to improve diet, increase the level of breast-feeding, and encourage pregnant women to give up smoking.
The Executive is working to increase the representation of women in public appointments. In January it launched a consultation paper, "Towards an Equality Strategy", to ensure that equality issues are at the heart of policy making, and that the representation of people with disabilities and people from the ethnic minorities is widened, particularly in the senior civil service.
The Parliament is also working with the Women's Aid movement to support victims of domestic abuse. I am sure that we can rely on the Equal Opportunities Committee to maintain a watching brief on all the Government's policies, to ensure that they have women's needs and aspirations at their core.
However, the picture is not all rosy. It is 30 years since the passing of the Equal Pay Act 1970, yet women are still paid less than men in equivalent jobs. Perhaps the moral of this story is that if we want to prepare our daughters for work, we should give them less pocket money than we give our sons—I hope that that is not the moral.
There is a long way to go, but I believe that we have started well and that our Scottish Parliament is now on a long march towards a more equal society. Wherever I go in my constituency, the majority of community activists are women, so why do so few women make the transition from activist to elected representative? I think that many women who would not or could not consider standing for elected office at the moment might do so if they were given the chance and if there were a proper framework of support. The timing of meetings and the structure and culture of authorities need to be more women and family friendly.
Our Parliament must offer to women in all the communities of Scotland practical policies that will enable them to realise fully their potential. Such a release of talent can only serve the cause of a better, and more prosperous, tolerant and equal Scotland.
Much has been said about our Parliament being open and accessible. It should be not just physically accessible, but accessible in that its policies lead to a more open and just Scotland. I hope that the Parliament—in particular its women members—will campaign to ensure that all women can achieve their potential. If we do not, we will squander a tremendous opportunity.
If we succeed in that endeavour—I believe that we must—future generations of Scots will find that the buildings of our universities are named after Scotland's women as well as her men.
Unfortunately, not all members who wish to speak will be called, but if speeches are kept to just over two minutes, we will hear from as many as possible.
Today, on International Women's Day, it is entirely right and proper that we should debate the role that women have played and continue to play in a range of occupations and vocations that would have astonished my mother and her generation. To see women from Govan in a Scottish Parliament would have cheered her radical spirit.
We acknowledge the contribution that women now make in politics, law, education and elsewhere. I am delighted to tell the Parliament that in Inverclyde, five out of eight of our secondary school head teachers are women—that is the highest percentage in any education authority in Scotland. Furthermore, Gateside women's prison has a woman governor.
Throughout the UK, women have come to the fore in politics; there are women politicians even in that male bastion, Northern Ireland. I want to commend the role that the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition was beginning to play in the Northern Ireland Assembly. When the suspension of the Assembly ends—I am sure that we all hope that it will—I know that, despite the fact that there are only two of them, Monica McWilliams and Jane Morrice will continue to be important decision makers. I hope that, one day in the not too distant future, many more women will take part in the Assembly. However, Monica would be the first to remind me that many women have played their part in the peace process, on the ground and in bringing the communities together.
Other unsung heroines are to be found here in Scotland. What would we do without Women's Aid and the women who put themselves at the forefront of the fight to protect the victims of abuse? Last week, Johann Lamont secured a members' business debate about the women who support those who suffer from drug abuse. We cannot even begin to think of the pain that they must go through.
Elsewhere in the world, women have fought and continue to fight for peace, justice and equality. In some cases, cruel despotic tyrants and their security and armed forces have subjected them to rape, torture and even death. Tomorrow we will see—as we have seen many Thursdays before—los madres des jeuves in the main square of Buenos Aires, holding photographs of their missing sons, husbands and brothers, pleading with the state to find out where they are, so that at least they can be given a decent burial.
Today, we think of Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still under house arrest in Burma. Her husband died in the United Kingdom while she was under house arrest. She tells us that the regime cannot take her freedom away from her heart, mind and soul. Her spirit and inspiration are a lesson to us all.
There is still much to do. We in the Scottish Parliament have a responsibility to encourage women to replace us when the time comes. The social empowerment of women has made positive changes, but the economic empowerment of women lags behind. Today, Wendy Alexander, the Minister for Communities, has said that it is her goal to ensure equal pay for women.
I thank Patricia Ferguson for securing the debate. We women have made a difference in the Parliament. However, we have a long way to go. I say to women out there that if they want it, they should go for it. If I—a granny—can do it, so can they.
I call Dorothy-Grace Elder and afterwards, in the spirit of inclusion, I will call Jamie McGrigor.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Everyone in the Parliament is delighted that one third of our Presiding Officers is female. I thank Patricia Ferguson for initiating today's debate.
As Patricia's motion suggests, we must move matters on and guard against mere gestures. Every so often, I go to Russia as part of a children's campaign. One year, I arrived during International Women's Weekend. I was terribly impressed that they had a whole weekend—or so the men told me. The men told me that they did all the work for the women, who rested for the weekend. That night, I went to a café. A waitress appeared and told me that there was no food. I asked for a beer and she told me that there was no beer. I asked why. She told me that it was International Women's Weekend, and the women drove the beer trucks and food supply wagons. I said that I had been told that the men took over. She said that that was what they told the women every year and then did not turn up. It is blokes sans frontières.
There is a danger that we make only gestures. I am anxious to see International Women's Day marked by practical actions—as I am sure are other members. I turn again to the subject of abuse, where we really can help. I appeal to the Parliament to help Women's Aid and the 9,000 women and children who are turned away from refuge places. I appeal to members to think not of glass ceilings and careerism, but of the women who are chucked through windowpanes. That is the sort of woman I deal with only too often. We can help at an everyday level.
There is a danger in what I call committee feminism. I am a feminist, but a grassroots one, like so many other members here. We all need all women to look out for and help their sisters in a practical way. That does not always happen. We all know a few fake feminists here and there, who might mutter politically correct platitudes and get awfully uptight about some guy calling them "hen". When another woman needs help, however, such fake feminists tend to vanish. They should be the first people women can turn to, however: their own sisters. They might turn a blind eye to a neighbour's brutality, because he happens to be a nice guy to them, and they somehow ignore the screams through the walls.
Such women can sometimes also turn a blind eye to workplace bullying. This is why I am one of those women who is trying to institute an anti-workplace bullying movement within the Parliament: I believe that we can take a lead and help the many thousands of women who are bullied at work in an everyday, and quite dreadful, sense. I have the backing of Tim Field, a prominent member of the anti-workplace bullying movement, and of Sandra Brown in Scotland.
Let us move forward and please let us all be whistleblowers on every single injustice that we see done to our sister women.
I commend Patricia Ferguson's motion, recognising International Women's Day. Despite its being only one day on which women are acknowledged, it is important to note that women are an integral component of society each and every day. International Women's Day represents an opportunity to draw attention to women's issues and to the progress being made towards women's equality.
"International" means women in areas all over the world, especially those persecuted ladies in Afghanistan and Somalia. Today also provides the occasion to examine women's role in the workplace.
The Scottish Parliament has dedicated itself to following the recommendations of the consultative steering group report, by endorsing equal opportunities for all. The Scottish Parliament has one of the highest proportions of women members in the world, has worked to become family friendly, and has established the Equal Opportunities Committee to scrutinise legislation.
Nevertheless, it is equal opportunities that should be pursued, not positive discrimination. The Labour party has taken steps to guarantee gender balance. However, the only way in which it could accomplish that was by a system of quotas, subsequently known as the 50:50 option. The establishment of that policy assumes that there is an intrinsic difference between men and women, which can be solved only through contrived procedures, not through skill alone. While its goals are admirable, such a policy is inherently patronising towards women, insinuating that women need special privileges to achieve what men can achieve otherwise. We already have a qualified female work force capable of competing with their male counterparts for jobs.
Will Mr McGrigor give way?
I do not have time.
Women want to earn positions based on merit, not on special privileges.
Will Mr McGrigor give way?
The member is not giving way.
Attention is better focused on discrepancies between men and women in the workplace, such as pay inequality and inadequate child care provision. Quotas are not necessary, nor are they the answer.
The Americans have taken a step in that direction: they have done away with affirmative action in some states. In 1996, California voters chose to eliminate positive discrimination in employment, education and public contracting on the basis that it was reverse discrimination. The governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, announced plans to end affirmative action. Those state Governments no longer see personal characteristics such as gender, race, disability or religion as an integral factor in formulating policy, nor should the Scottish Parliament.
Another issue facing women in the workplace is the glass ceiling. The phrase was coined in the media to describe the barriers against women gaining executive and upper-level positions. Margaret Thatcher, not noted for being held back, once said:
"People think that at the top there isn't much room. They tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top."
I believe that we should take note of that former Prime Minister's remarks. She achieved her post not through a handout, but through her own initiative and experience.
Let us not perpetuate the myth that women cannot compete without special preferences. Let us embrace International Women's Day, not merely as an occasion to recognise women's achievements, but as a day when we can consider what can be done further to achieve equality. We cannot really honour International Women's Day until such a day is not needed.
I thank Patricia Ferguson for introducing today's debate. Jamie McGrigor is a brave man—if he thinks that Labour women MSPs are patronised, perhaps he should spend a bit more time with us so that we can assure him that we are not. I dare any man in the chamber to patronise me.
International Women's Day is a cause for both celebration and concern. We celebrate by recognising the achievements of women, such as increased political representation and the efforts—already acknowledged—of the women who hold communities together. However, we have concerns about the pay gap and the fact that domestic and sexual violence continues. We know—I speak personally here—about the exhaustion of women who play the dual role in society.
Profound concerns such as those have stimulated action and struggle for centuries. We began the 20th century with women engaged in the struggle for the vote, and ended it with women engaged in the struggle for political representation, in which, undoubtedly, the Scottish Parliament has played a part. I make no apology for being on a women's platform and for fighting for that platform over many years.
My experience, in the early days of the Parliament, renewed my commitment to that platform. Lest we forget, women were seen as easy targets and a few women were singled out for criticism, despite the fact that that criticism was undeserved. Women were invisible—programme after programme in the media gave the impression that there were very few women in the Scottish Parliament; every time that I watched a programme, a succession of men were interviewed. We also had the good old double standard when newspaper columnists talked about women's weight and looks. We are very far from the equality that Mr McGrigor spoke of; we still face the same old issues.
We face hostility when we demand attention for the subtle, pervasive and institutional forms of discrimination. We still have problems in identifying and naming the problem. Gender is the new buzzword. We talk about gender all the time but, as the Zero Tolerance evidence to the Parliament demonstrated, we have to start naming the gender. If we do not grasp the issue properly, we will not resolve it properly. There is gender difference in society, but it is to the disadvantage of women. We should not apologise for our commitment to women's issues and we must recognise and explore sustained inequality across a range of women's experiences.
I will not apologise for any commitment to feminism. The feminist movement has been one of the most progressive, radical movements in the world. I remind Dorothy-Grace Elder of one of the first principles of feminism: do not blame other women, when men have delivered the sustained attacks. I am reminded of Rebecca West, who said—I will paraphrase slightly—"I'm not quite sure what feminism is, I only know that's what I'm called when I express sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat." We must ensure always that we continue to challenge women's experiences in the circumstances in which they find themselves. International Women's Day is a key day in the political firmament to reinforce that message.
Since I came to the Parliament, I have broadened my horizons. I spent many hours, months and years challenging many men in the Labour party—some of them are probably here today—but I see now that the problems exist in other political parties. I now have many more candidates for the wonderful phrase, "Behind every successful man stands a surprised woman." Today is not the day for complacency. The Scottish Parliament is at the forefront of pioneering political representation and investigating new ways of involving women. Undoubtedly, it will invigorate the political system. We should be proud of that, but we still face severe and profound problems across the spheres of work and education, where violence, poverty and hopelessness are too often a feature of too many women's lives. We have values and ethics that degrade and humiliate women and girls.
The Parliament was established to create change, not as defined and articulated by—and delivered for—men, but for all women. Let today be the start of our commitment to delivering for all women, in particular those who are most dispossessed.
International Women's Day is a useful device that enables us, once a year, to take stock of where women stand in the world. We can look back to where we were, look round at where we are and look forward to a better, more equal, more inclusive and fairer future.
I want to mention a small group of women who can look back to where they started two years ago, take pride in where they are now and look forward to the Parliament delivering the change in the law for which they are campaigning. The change will extend the legal protection that is now available only to married women to all women threatened with violence. Enough is Enough is the collective name for six young women who know from painful experience the exact human cost of the gaps in the law protecting women from violence by partners and ex-partners. Four of those young women were in the gallery earlier today. I pay tribute to them.
The effect of domestic violence is not just physical pain; the mental effects of loss of self-esteem and confidence are well documented. Those four young women and the two others, with the support of a local community education worker, who was also here today, decided that enough was enough and started a campaign to have the law changed. In doing so, they wanted also to change the attitudes of law officers and society at large. They have seen results. Grampian police have made improvements in the way in which domestics are handled.
The women have campaigned and organised, talked to people, written letters, held conferences, highlighted the problems and campaigned for effective solutions. Along the way, they have discovered what they can do—what their abilities are. Well done to them. I hope that they keep up the pressure and keep the issues on the agenda until they get the law that they deserve. Once they do, they will have done it for themselves, for other women and, as they said to me earlier, for their daughters and our daughters. I thank them. I hope that they will be able to join us again to see us vote in the law for which they are campaigning.
The women of East Timor have suffered greatly over the past quarter century. They have watched as their fathers, husbands, sons and lovers died for the cause of freedom. They have watched their children starve and their teenagers flee the country as political exiles. They are still counting the cost of that freedom as they await the return of their families from camps in Indonesia. In addition, the women of East Timor have suffered gender-specific crimes—systematic rape, enforced nudity and sterilisation.
The only women's rights agency in East Timor has now reopened in Dili. It is run by local women, who have decided to mark International Women's Day for the first time ever in their independent country. I ask women MSPs in our new Scottish Parliament to show their support for the work of that women's rights agency. I have e-mailed all women members the details. Please send them a message.
Sisters, on behalf of the Executive, I welcome this debate on International Women's Day and echo the thanks to Patricia Ferguson for initiating it.
There are brothers here too.
There are indeed some—I concede that—but I am disappointed to say that I would not count them all as my brothers. [Laughter.]
This day is intended to symbolise how far women have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development across the world. It provides a clear opportunity for women to unite, to network and to mobilise for meaningful change. However, what lies behind those words?
Women's inequality damages all societies. It represents a huge loss of potential, the costs of which fall on men as well as women. The Scottish Executive understands that and we are determined to do all that we can to promote equality of opportunity for all. As Susan Anthony said way back in 1897, there will never be complete equality until women themselves help to make the laws and elect the lawmakers.
So, how far have we come? We have 48 women MSPs, which is 37 per cent of the Parliament. We have achieved critical mass, but what is important is what we do now. We must build on the work of women in the past, such as the Pankhursts, because not only can we now elect the lawmakers; we are the lawmakers.
It is not enough, however, for us just to be here. We must ensure that we deliver and impact positively on the lives of ordinary women throughout Scotland and throughout the world. As part of our contribution to marking International Women's Day, ministers have announced a number of initiatives that address women's concerns.
In addition to the new £8 million package of funding to tackle domestic violence, earlier today I announced the establishment of a national helpline. The line, sponsored by Thus plc, will offer a vital service to victims of domestic abuse. The service will be available not just when we run advertising campaigns, but 365 days a year. That is just a beginning. The Executive will continue to do what is necessary to raise awareness of the scale and nature of the problem and to ensure that women are offered all necessary protection. I also announced that Lesley Irving would be joining the Scottish Executive on secondment from Scottish Women's Aid, initially for a year. Lesley's experience will be very useful in driving forward our programme to deal with violence against women and in preventive work, especially with younger people, with whom there is the potential to create a long-term positive impact on attitudes to domestic abuse.
This morning Henry McLeish announced new funding of £1 million to extend a micro-credit scheme for women entrepreneurs across the Scottish Enterprise network. Small businesses are an important part of Scotland's economic prosperity and it is vital that we encourage more women to set up their own businesses. That funding will, I hope, assist in removing some of the barriers that women face in accessing start-up finance.
In promoting equal opportunities, we must ensure that, as an employer, the Scottish Executive is setting a positive example by developing a balanced work force. Jack McConnell, the minister with responsibility for modernising government, today reaffirmed the Executive's commitment to ensuring that it is among the leaders in equal opportunities practice in Scotland.
Sam Galbraith has outlined what the Executive is doing to help mothers back into work. One example is the Childcare Link, a freephone information line that provides general advice and information on child care issues and that will give parents the information that they need to make informed choices about child care. Sarah Boyack has announced that the Executive recently commissioned research to explore how the transport system meets or fails to meet the needs of women and to identify practical solutions to make transport more accessible and safer for women travellers. Wendy Alexander announced that the Scottish Executive was helping to publicise the Scottish Trades Union Congress conference "Valuing Women in Work", which will focus on ensuring that the STUC's campaign for advancing women's position in the workplace reaches as wide as possible an audience.
The pay gap between women and men begins at age 20 and widens thereafter so that a 50-year-old woman—this is what I can look forward to—can expect to earn only half as much as a man of that age. If we are to create a society that is based on social justice, we must ensure that such issues are addressed.
The Executive is committed to improving Scotland's health; initiatives are being progressed by Susan Deacon on a number of fronts. One of our main priorities is tackling the health of women and young children through breast screening clinics and through working to reduce the proportion of women who smoke during pregnancy—the list goes on.
From the contributions to the debate and our own experiences as politicians—and, more important, as women—we recognise that women experience discrimination and inequality in a range of areas. As Margaret Curran said, we must not be complacent. Although much is being done, we all recognise that there is a great deal more to do. We need to start here, thinking not just about what we do for women in Scotland or across the UK and the world, but about what we need to do to change the attitudes of men, including some men in this Parliament.
The Executive sees equality as central to its work in developing a fairer, more inclusive Scotland. It is not an add-on or an optional extra. We need to ensure that equality is at the forefront of the minds of every policy maker, legislator and service provider.
We have come a long way since the days of the suffragettes. We have universal franchise, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970, but we have the opportunity in this Parliament to build a Scotland that is characterised by social justice and equality. As Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote, women are the real architects of society. We owe it to the women of Scotland, and we owe it to our daughters, to build a society in which all women can play an equal part.
Meeting closed at 17:41.