Sturgeon makes pitch to women as she unveils equality policies in Glasgow

NICOLA Sturgeon will today urge women to give both votes to the SNP as she campaigns in Glasgow.

The SNP leader will outline her party’s policies to improve health outcomes and economic opportunities for women.

These include creating a £50 million Women’s Business Centre to support women looking to start or grow their business.

The SNP has also pledged to introduce a Women’s Health Plan aimed at improving services for women and tackling health inequalities.

Elsewhere, the party has promised to expand free childcare and build a “wraparound” childcare system, with those on the lowest incomes paying nothing.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to say: “These are serious times which require experienced leadership to guide Scotland through the pandemic and into recovery.

“In Government, the SNP has a proud record on standing up for women on issues such as equal pay and support in returning to the workplace.

“In many ways women have borne the brunt of the pandemic, working in caring professions and often taking responsibility for children or older relatives at home.

“We must make sure this recovery helps put women on an equal footing – with better jobs, better healthcare and greater safety.

“We will create a £50m Women’s Business Centre to support women looking to start or grow their business.

“As part of this, we will invest £3m per year to pay the equivalent of a full-time salary for 100 female applicants to develop their pioneering business idea.

“We will also continue our successful Women Returners Programme, which is helping women re-enter the labour market after a period away – as well as building flexible and family-friendly working into our Fair Work First programme.

“While not all women have children, we know that the availability of free, high-quality childcare is hugely important for many women in the workplace.

“In government, the SNP have revolutionised childcare provision, and if re-elected we’ll go even further by building a system of wraparound childcare.

“As we remobilise our NHS, we also want to improve healthcare for women and girls at different stages in their lives.

“We’ll develop and implement a Women’s Health Plan to improve services and reduce health inequalities on issues as diverse as breastfeeding support, screening services and the menopause.”

The First Minister said she is “proud that the SNP is fielding such a strong range of female candidates in this election, who bring a wide range of experiences from a diverse range of backgrounds”.

The SNP highlighted Office for National Statistics figures showing the gender pay gap for full-time employees in Scotland has decreased from 7.2 per cent in 2019 to 3% in 2020. In the UK, it has decreased from 9% to 7.4%.