Let’s be good sports
Last week marked the second annual Women in Sport week to be celebrated in Scotland.
I was grateful to have the opportunity to speak in the Scottish Parliament debate on this issue, highlighting the enduring barriers which women face in participating in sport.
The health and wellbeing benefits of active participation in sport are well reported, however there continues to be a clear gender disparity in participation rates of sports.
For example, recent research from sportscotland has highlighted that, by a clear margin, more men participate regularly in sport compared to women.
The research also revealed that the decline in women’s participation in sports occur at school age between the ages of 13 The Tories announced their new immigration policy last week – and it shows exactly how they view the majority of workers.
The average wage in the UK is around £25,000.
Yet the Tories announced that anyone coming to the country from the EU must and 15.
However, across the last year, we have experienced numerous successes of inspirational Scottish women in sport.
At the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in Spring, women returned two gold medals, five silver medals and six bronze medals.
In the summer, Inverness-born Laura Muir became the first British women to win the European 1,500 metre title at the European Championships in Berlin. In the autumn, the Scottish Women’s Football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
I hope that the variety of sporting successes achieved by Scottish sportswomen throughout 2018 can act as a catalyst which inspires our country’s stars of the future.
not be low-skilled and earn over £50,000 a year. Take a closer look and it is obvious how they view the UK’s workforce.
This insight into the Tory mind-set shows that they view anyone earning less than £50,000 as low-skilled.
That’s the majority of professions – teachers, firemen, tradesmen, doctors,
pharmacists and journalists to name a few.
Immigration brings a range of benefits to the UK.
And ending freedom of movement will seriously impact industries like hospitality, the health service and farming.