Meeting of the Parliament 03 March 2020
I am delighted to open on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives and to support the Scottish Government’s motion.
In 2020, we need to have 20:20 vision when it comes to promoting equality and opportunities for women. International women’s day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate how much things have changed for the better, from the Equality Act 2010 to votes for women to tackling the gender pay gap. Nevertheless, even in 2020, there is still a long way to go.
The each for equal message of this year’s international women’s day is fitting, given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the 10th anniversary of the Equality Act 2010.
I recently finished reading a wonderful book by Jenni Murray, which members might be familiar with, entitled “A History of the World in 21 Women”. Murray highlights the work of Benazir Bhutto, and explains how, in adversity, she triumphed as a successful politician and Prime Minister, and explores how women such as Malala Yousafzai were inspired by her courage and determination. We, in this chamber, need to inspire the next generation of women to stand for office and understand that they can achieve great things. However, we are all too aware that discrimination, hatred and prejudice still exist in today’s society.
When we speak about the discrimination against and stereotyping of women, we often do so from an urban or metropolitan point of view. In my constituency and across rural Scotland, women continue to be marginalised. A lack of employment opportunities, difficulty in accessing childcare, long-entrenched stereotypes and remoteness all contribute to rural women often being in a worse position than urban women. Growing up in the rural Welsh borders, I was all too aware of the challenges that women faced. We were expected to carry out manual jobs on the farm, just like men, but we were not necessarily rewarded or respected in the same way.
Women played an extraordinarily important role in farming during and after world war two, as they worked the land and assumed the roles of men who were serving. Despite that, attitudes towards women in agriculture did not change and it tends to be assumed that the natural successor to a farm business will be male. As I said in my maiden speech, I was fortunate in that my father asked whether I would like to take over the farm, instead of my brother Will. I had worked alongside my siblings from a young age, but when my father asked me that, it came as a bit of a shock. My response was, “I just assumed my brother would take over.” I was lucky to have a father who did not discriminate against me, as a young woman. For rural women throughout Scotland, we must make the case for driving culture change in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sector.