Meeting of the Parliament 23 April 2015
I have no time, sorry.
The issue is absolutely vital, because the campaign’s research has found that 75 per cent of girls and young women aged 11 to 21 and 48 per cent of seven to 10-year-olds believe that there are too many images of naked or nearly naked women in the media; that the majority of young girls—almost 60 per cent—have experienced sexual harassment at school, college or work in the past year; and that a staggering 40 per cent of them say that they sometimes feel ashamed of how they look and that they do not take part in fun activities like sport because they are self-conscious. Given the images that girls are exposed to on a daily basis, on YouTube, in music videos and in magazines and newspapers, is it any wonder that so many of them feel pressure to conform to ideals that are often unachievable?
That does not just undermine girls’ self-esteem; the harsh reality is that the way that women are portrayed in the media and at such venues entrenches gender inequality and the unequal power relationships that are at the root of abuse and violence against women and girls. I do not want my six-year-old daughter to grow up in a Scotland where women are viewed as sexualised objects or where women are judged on how they look. I want my daughter to grow up in a society in which gender is no barrier to success and where every child is treated as equal. It is time that we started to take responsibility for making sure that the images of women and young girls that are portrayed in the media are realistic, and we have the opportunity to do that here and now, in the bill.
We could make it an offence to knowingly display harmful sexualised content on the front pages of magazines and newspapers that are within children’s sight. I intend to submit amendments on such a measure at stage 2. The bill also gives us scope to put in place restrictions on signage advertising sexual entertainment venues. The cabinet secretary referred to that in his letter to the committee, and I hope that we can make progress on the issue.
We all aspire to a Scotland in which equality is not just an aspiration but a reality, and we should use the powers in the bill to make that happen. Let us show that girls really do matter and ensure that their voices are heard. We must do all that we can in the bill to tackle the exploitation of women and girls wherever and whenever it takes place.