Meeting of the Parliament 19 June 2025
The member has raised an exceptionally important point. As I look around the chamber, I see that it is mostly women who are here, as is often the case when we discuss such issues. I do not have a problem with that; the more the merrier. However, the Parliament needs to think about the contribution that men make to the debate. We need to consider how we bring up our young boys into young men and the societal norms they live with—particularly those things that today’s younger generations think are acceptable—because that is a large part of the problem that women and girls continue to face. He raised an important point, and I will take it away and reflect on it.
This afternoon, members have highlighted and will highlight areas of concern and areas where they wish the Government to go further and, I hope, some areas where the Government has taken action that they support. It is important that we have this discussion at this time, as the National Advisory Council for Women and Girls wished us to do, so that we can take steps forward to the strategy with a shared understanding of the matters that we raise in the chamber today on behalf of our constituents and stakeholders.
I also hope to ensure that we move forward to our next annual statement, which will once again provide a comprehensive picture of what the Government has done and what it still has to do. Future statements will be informed by the work that will start with our gender strategy and what will come from it.
I am very proud of the progress that we have made in Scotland but, as I said, there is more to do. I hope that members will agree that gender equality is a goal that we must all continue to strive for.
I move,
That the Parliament notes the publication of the first Annual Statement on Gender Policy Coherence.