Disabled women. Disabled people still experience exclusion across social, economic and political life in Scotland, to the detriment of our society as a whole. Many disabled women face added disadvantages, such as poor access to childcare, an even wider gender pay gap and high rates of domestic abuse. We must work to break down the barriers that prevent disabled women from realising their rights. Scottish Greens will take a lead from disabled people’s organisations to promote a co-produced Strategy for Inclusion which works towards equal access to resources, fulfilling employment, public services, and participation in politics and public life for all disabled people.
Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI+) people. There must be equality before the law, regardless of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. We will back the campaign to reform gender recognition law in line with international best practice. We will call for a government-led review of legislation and services to identify inequalities for LGBTI+ couples and people of non-binary gender identities, and for legislation to make Civil Partnerships open to all couples. We will support the Time for Inclusive Education campaign, which promotes LGBTI+ inclusion in schools and will fight for resources and training to meet the mental health needs of LGBTI+ people.
Minority ethnic women. Racial discrimination remains a crucial issue in Scotland, for UK-born individuals as well as for refugees and first generation migrants. People from Scotland’s minority ethnic communities are significantly more likely to live in poverty, and employment and political representation rates are unacceptably low compared with white ethnic groups. For minority ethnic women this lack of access to employment and representation is amplified, and underemployment in low-paid sectors affects many women from certain communities. Our MSPs will support full implementation of the Racial Equality Framework for Scotland 2016-2030 and work to ensure these efforts are also aligned with gender equality policy.
Refugee and asylum-seeking women. Scotland can welcome refugees with open arms. We will continue to campaign for the UK Government to accept more refugees and asylum seekers, and for a system that accounts for women’s gendered experiences of fleeing persecution and violence. Greens will push for resources to support community, civil society and charity action to aid integration and a bolder Scottish strategy for ‘new Scots’ based on dignity and respect. We will also campaign to close Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre. Detention should never be imposed on those who might suffer additional harm as a result, due to age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, health, or experience of rape or torture.
Older women. The majority of older people and those in pension poverty in Scotland are women. Our MSPs will propose a commission to explore how Scotland can develop an inclusive culture that allows older people to live healthy and independent lives. Green MSPs will campaign for a state pension that enables everyone to live with dignity, and for a Scottish supplement to be paid to all those not receiving the full State Pension. Meanwhile, many older women and their carers depend on social care to lead independent lives, but funding is at breaking point. We will push to empower local government to raise taxes, as an alternative to social care charging for those who can least afford it.
Rural women. Women in rural areas face particular challenges – a lack of transport links, problems with communications connectivity and fewer local services can lead to isolation, particularly for those with care duties. Green MSPs will push for broadband and mobile connectivity across all areas of Scotland, which will facilitate women to work from home. We will push for regulated buses, publicly owned railways and free bus passes for unpaid carers. This will benefit women, who are more reliant on public transport than men and provide the majority of unpaid care. Our localisation agenda will also see local authorities better able to respond to local needs, reducing the postcode lottery that afflicts access to public services.
Young women. Young women face particular challenges and forms of sexism. We will support young women to have their voices heard. We will push for increased efforts to tackle gendered subject choices in schools, which will ultimately help to boost gender equality in the workplace. Young women also stand to benefit from our proposals to reduce house prices, which are currently locking a generation of young people out of a place to live; to guarantee high quality teaching, tackle the attainment gap and address equality and diversity issues in schools; to create opportunities in further education and vocational training; to provide mental health services for young people; to introduce a Young Carer’s Grant; and to create a compassionate care system based on young people’s needs.