Product of an all-female shortlist

0 Gail Ross says there is a long way to go towards equality

I am a proud product of an all-female SNP shortlist and I am also proud that over 43 per cent of the SNP’S MSPS are female.

Given Nicola Sturgeon’s record in promoting gender equality, including her second consecutive gender-balanced Cabinet, it should be little surprise that Scotland was recently found to be the third best country in the world for women’s political representation.

And when it comes to standing up for women in the workplace, the SNP has been at the forefront with policies such as free childcare and tackling the gender pay gap, which is both decreasing and smaller than the UK’S gender pay gap.

We also recently passed the Gender Representation on Public Boards Bill, which was a momentous step towards ensuring Scotland’s public bodies better reflect the society we live in and that the progress we have already made is not rolled back.

And no, this type of positive action does not mean appointments aren’t made on merit. If we had a system that was based purely on merit, gender balance would be easy to achieve given that there are more women in the country than men.

While I am extremely proud of the steps the SNP is taking towards creating a fairer and more equal Scotland, we still have a long way to go. We will continue to oppose the Tories in Westminster’s regressive policies.

And we will continue to work towards a Scotland where every girl and woman can reach her full potential, and we will always use every power at our disposal to reach that goal.