 I'm delighted to be chairing this afternoon's International Women's Day, and it's my great pleasure to welcome you all here this afternoon. I'm pleased to see some familiar and also some not so familiar faces. It's also very good indeed to be able to welcome MSP colleagues too. Since it was established, International Women's Day has grown to be a global day of recognition, celebrating the social, political and economic achievements of women, while also focusing on areas that still require further improvement and action. Over the next couple of weeks, events of all shapes and forms will take place across the globe. Our own International Women's Day event in the Scottish Parliament has again been organised by the Scottish Women's Convention, and I'd like to thank them, to thank and congratulate them, and to thank to Agnes Ptollmy, its chair. Thank you all for the important work that you do and continue to do in furthering the influence and rights of women in Scotland. The theme for our conference this year is Break the Bias, and today's important event allows us to come together to make a difference by using our voices to champion change. Today, we support one another to challenge inequalities, and in this sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, 46 per cent of members are women, and that's the highest percentage of women elected to the Parliament since 1999 and by some way. So women also hold some key roles in our Parliament, but we can't take this progress for granted. As a Parliament, we are determined to embed this progress, and we've taken a broad look at how the Parliament takes account of barriers to equal representation in its work. We've recently completed what is known as a gender-sensitive audit, and that was led by a board, which included members of all parties in the Parliament, as well as external experts and Parliament officials. We've done this work over the last year, over the last year and a bit. We've carefully considered our recommendations, and just yesterday we published our report. It includes recommendations such as rule changes to help to bring about more equal representation on our key bodies and the groups in Parliament, the parliamentary bureau, which looks at the business that we discuss here every week, the Parliament corporate body, which makes sure that we have the resources to run the Parliament and looks after staff too. We have recommendations that include the establishment of a forum for women MSPs to discuss the issues that matter to them. We're also going to look at the Parliament's sitting times to determine what changes need to be made to limit the unpredictability of sitting times. A measure that will help to promote inclusion and wellbeing, it's very important that each and every person can imagine themselves representing their community, so we have to take into account factors that can be barriers to that involvement. We're looking at the permanent introduction of a proxy voting scheme, which will cover parental leave illness, caring and bereavement leave. We're determined that this isn't just going to be another dusty report that sits on a dusty shelf and doesn't make a difference, so we're setting up an advisory group to drive those recommendations forward, and that too will be cross-party and informed by our experts. As I was saying, the audit showed that there has been fluctuations over time in the number of women here and in the number of women in leadership and decision making roles, so that tells us that equal representation isn't yet embedded. The audit found out—we've taken some snapshots of work in the chamber—that women are less likely than men to make interventions and debate, perhaps to take interventions and debate and to participate in First Minister's questions, and women continue to be underrepresented in some committees such as finance, audit and standards and procedures. It's really important that we understand that because then we're in a better position to change it, but this report is just one step on our way to the progress that we want to see, and I have no doubt at all that this Parliament will continue to build on its strong foundations of equal opportunities. You know, these are principles that are embedded in our founding principles. Today, I am absolutely thrilled that we're going to hear from so many of you, as ever, we'll learn from one another. I'm really keen to hear about your hopes and aspirations for the future and what you would like to see your Parliament do to help achieve such ambitions. There are many exceptional women in modern Scotland who have achieved success in their fields and I'm really looking forward to hearing from those who are gathered here today. I am proud to be standing in a Parliament that achieves and celebrates women, a Parliament that promotes the rights of women, a Parliament where women can gather together to consider the issues that matter to us, and a Parliament that recognises that there is more to be done. So thank you for joining us here today. I hope that you have an enjoyable and productive time in your Scottish Parliament. Now, it's my great pleasure to introduce Agnes Tolmy, chair of the Scottish Women's Convention. Agnes has been an active campaigner in the women's movement for over 30 years, campaigning on such issues as equal pay and women's representation in political and public life. During the 1990s, Agnes was involved along with a coalition of women in Scotland in campaigning for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and campaigned with the STUC women's committee for 50-50 gender balance. Agnes was the recipient of the STUC Women's Meritorious Awards 2012 and TUC Gold Badge for Service to Women 2. Agnes Tolmy. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Before I go into my speech, I recollect the first time I met what was just the ordinary Nicola Sturgeon before he became a high-heating, was on top of a fire engine in Blythwood Square, and it was pouring rain. When I turned up there, I was chair of the STUC Women's Committee at the time and the FBU, the Fire Brigade Union, under strike. They were looking for speakers and I just turned a corner when my granddaughter was nabbed. They took her away and I went up. My mother never believed where I was when she went home. My granddaughter was on top of a fire engine, but what I remember about that then, Nicola, apart from your speech and your contribution, is your poor shoes. You had the most beautiful beige wet shoes on, and they were manky with the rain and the rock. I am sure that they hit the bend when you got home. Welcome, sisters, to our celebration of International Women's Day. I, of all days, this day makes me proud to be a woman in Scotland, especially in this Parliament, our Parliament. We are delighted to see the prime of Ms Debbie Ruddy here, of our ladies high school, here again. She brings different girls every year, and she brings a continuity that is so welcome in our society, where these young women feel this is a place where they should be. Two of our pupils are speaking today, and we wish you well. Good luck. I know that you are nervous, but do not be. One of our ex-pupils, Rebecca Blythe, who is now a teacher at St Nenny's High School, is also here with her pupils, so welcome to them as well. Somebody asked me, I said, what do you think Debbie feels about seeing her pupil become a teacher in Gring? I heard pupils here, and I just said old. Many of these young women who are here today have pupils from Jump Chapel High. Where are you? Jump Chapel High and Governing High School, so welcome girls and students from Edinburgh University. It looks like the young team are ready to take over, and so you should. Enjoy the day, girls, you are our future. Welcome to women from all over Scotland, highlands and islands, including Barra and Skyn, as ever. This event was heavily oversubscribed. We could have filled this chamber four times its capacity. Our supporters and sponsors in this particular year, it is the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Women's Convention as well, but we have been overwhelmed with their generosity, and I will thank them at the end of the day. I know that we have people listening in on the Scottish Live TV, so welcome to you too. Just in case there are any doubts, rest assured, there is a tunix, caramel wafer and your goodie bag, so enjoy. We have fabulous speakers here today, and I will thank them on your behalf later. But, First Minister, due to your busy diary, you have to leave at what we call the comfort rake, so I do wish to say a few words to you directly. Do you know when people ask you what is this Parliament done? What is this Government in Scotland done to improve the lives of women and families? Well, I respond with absolute and fundamental pride. I am only allowed a few minutes at this rostrum, and I have been warned for my contribution, and it is a very limited time. It is not enough time to list all the benefits that have come to women and families in Scotland, so I picked out just a few of them. Scottish child payment £20 a week, expanded free childcare, free music tuition and schools, the baby box. Women love those baby boxes, free period products, free bus travel for the under-22s. The fair work convention does a fabulous role in making sure that people are treated fairly at work. Best start grant for families, free bursaries and paramedic students increased the funding of the school clothing grant, the young persons guarantee, the young carers grant, expanded free school meals for all primary 1 to 5 pupils, free NHS prescriptions, which are currently £9.35 a item in England, wicks for women who are suffered with cancer up to about £300. That is something I only learned last week, and I think that that is an amazing thing to do for women, particularly women who do not have much money, to know that that is something that our Government is supplying for them. We have the adult disability payment, protected free NHS ITS. We have appointed a women's health champion, and congratulations to Professor Anna Glaesia, free tuition fees. That sisters is only a smidgen of what this Parliament has delivered in the last eight, 10 years, 20 years. I am absolutely proud, and it's all been under your leadership for you, our very first woman, First Minister of Scotland. Thank you. There is an outstanding thank you in recognition that we all owe you. You have shown great leadership in your role, First Minister, and an inspiration to all of us, especially to the younger women in our country, including those present today. You have set the standard for them to follow, and I do hope that they rise and relish the challenge and that those young women will take their place in this chamber. Come on, the young team. You can take the women out of Glasgow, but you can only take Glasgow out of the women. Come on, young team. First Minister, if the single family in Scotland is grateful to you for the manner in which you led us through Covid, I said last year that you put in a shift on reflection that doesn't come anywhere near describing how you day after day told us the hard facts, including having to report the losses to Covid. That must have been a sore one to do every single day. Many families in Scotland, to make you turned up every day with dignity and composure, and I for one can only imagine how difficult it was for you. For that alone, we owe you a debt of gratitude and thank you again. First Minister, as you close this chapter in your life, we have no doubt that you will forge a new one where they like us will welcome your skills and talents and our loss will be there again. We are so grateful that you joined us today. It gives us an opportunity to wish you well in person and to show our appreciation for what you mean to us, what you actually mean to us as a person and a decent human being, not just a politician. I would now like to call upon the First Minister of Scotland to the right honourable Nicola Sturgeon MSP to speak. Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland's first female First Minister and the first woman to lead any of the devolved UK Administrations. Prior to being elected as an MSP, she worked as a solicitor in the Drumchapel Law and Money Advice Centre in Glasgow. Member for Glasgow Southside, First Minister, since November 2014. As you know, she has recently announced her intention to resign from the post. Therefore, this will be her last time speaking at this event in the capacity of First Minister. I would like to say thank you for your steadfast contribution to this event over the years. I am sure that we will see you here again. I certainly hope that I will be back at this International Women's Day event many times in years to come, but this will be the last time I address this event as First Minister. Over the past two weeks, since I announced my intention to step down after eight years in the job, a decision that I believe in my heart and in my head, as I said on that day, is the right one. It is certainly the right one for me, but I think that it is also the right one for the country. Nevertheless, it was very hard to make. In those two weeks, I am very proud of this. I have managed to avoid crying in public, but I am not sure that I will manage to continue that over the course of this afternoon. So many people over the past eight years have given me so much support during good times and, in particular, during very challenging times. They are too many for me to mention right now. Amongst all those people have been a number of women, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Sometimes women I just meet as I am out and about doing my job as First Minister. As long as I live, I do not think that I will ever be able to adequately sum up what that has meant to me. For me over the past eight years, sisterhood has not been an abstract concept on so many occasions. It has been something that has sustained me day after day after day. That was particularly true during the challenges of Covid, a really difficult time for everybody. My job was not the hardest in the country by any stretch of the imagination, but that was a tough period for me, for everybody. That love and support sustained me then, so I just want to take the opportunity to all of you to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for that support. For as long as I live, for as long as there is breath in my body, we will continue to be a champion and an advocate for gender equality, which is, as I will set out in my remarks, as yet an un-one cause, but one that we must win in this generation for the sake of these young women here who, one day, some of them, maybe more than one of them, I am not sure who, will sit in that chair as First Minister. One of the things that I am really proud of is that your generation no longer needs to question that women can hold the highest political office in the land, so let's hope to see some of you there in years to come, but thank you from the bottom of my heart, Agnes. Now back to what I'm actually here to talk about, which is not me. There is no truth in the rumour that politicians like talking about themselves all the time, at least not all of us do, but I always enjoy this date in the calendar. International Women's Day, as Agnes said, is a really important occasion and it's always special to have this event here in our national parliament. This year it possibly feels even more special than normal. We met in person last year, but this is actually the first time since March 2020 that we've had the chamber full in the way that it is today. We met in March 2020 literally days before the pandemic turned all of our lives upside down, so that's one reason it's special. Another, of course, is that it is 20 years now since the Scottish Women's Convention was established, established to ensure that women's voices reach policy makers, and I think that we can safely say that the convention has been an outstanding success in meeting that objective. During the past two decades of the Scottish Women's Convention, for me and I am sure for so many of us here, it has provided a vision of a better future. It's been a constant source of hope, even perhaps especially in times of real challenge. I always reflect and forgive me, those of you who have been at these events before, because I say this every year, but I don't mind repeating myself every year I stand here. As I stand here, of course, I've got a very different perspective on this parliamentary chamber than the one I normally have, but every year I stand and I look out at this chamber full of women in all of our glorious diversity, and I just think to myself how much better would the world be if Parliament everywhere looked more like this every single day of the year? That's the vision that all of us should absolutely keep in our minds. I absolutely concede that we will have to continue to allow some men to be in parliamentary chambers, but much greater balance is definitely needed. The convention has also made a real practical difference. You have contributed to so many really important policy discussions over the years—just one of many examples. Last year, you published really important and also deeply concerning research on male violence against women and girls. You have campaigned passionately on issues from free school meals and menopause policies to period poverty and childcare. Throughout the last 20 years, the convention has influenced Government policy regularly, and it has done so for the better. I want to thank and congratulate everyone who has been involved in the Scottish Women's Convention over the past two decades. Given that she almost made me cry, I will make a special mention of the one and only Agnes Tommy. Agnes, you have steered the convention right from the very beginning. You are a true sister and you are an absolute powerhouse. Obviously, as we have just been reflecting on, I have caused to reflect personally recently that spending eight years in any job is a long time. However, Agnes, you have spent 20 years with the convention—around 18 of them, as I understand as chair—and, as we have just heard, you are still going strong. That might be, in part, testament to the fact that the convention recharges you with energy in a way that normal days in this parliamentary chamber do not, but mainly it is a tribute to your dedication to advancing women's rights. Agnes, on behalf of all of us, you are one of the true heroines of Scotland's women's movement, and I want to thank you for everything that you do. That is also called getting my own back. As those introductory remarks might suggest, I want to spend a bit of time this afternoon—I am not going to speak for too long—reflecting on some of the progress that we have made in not just the past eight years as I have been First Minister, but the last 20 years of the convention and almost 25 years now of this Parliament. However, as I do so inevitably, I will focus on where we need to make more progress. When I spoke in this chamber in November 2014 on the day that I became First Minister, I deliberately and very consciously put women's rights right at the heart of my ambitions for government. My niece was just eight years old at that time. She was sitting up there in the gallery. She does not believe me now, and I need to look at the video to prove this to her. Just as we finished in Parliament, Rose, she shouted from there, anti-nicla, meet me downstairs! She refuses to believe that. In that speech, I expressed my hope that, by the time she became a young woman, things like the gender pay gap under representation and the other barriers that women face would have been consigned to the dustbin of history. She is now a wonderful young woman who I am extremely proud of. When I look at the world today through the eyes of her generation, many of you here today, I have very mixed feelings. There is progress to be really proud of, and I will come back to that in a second. However, there is also today real pushback, and there are real challenges for girls and women today. Some of those challenges are ones that my generation did not face when we were younger. We see an assault, for example, on reproductive rights demonstrated really starkly in the overturning of Roe versus Wade in the United States, but we see echoes of that elsewhere, including here in Scotland, in the form of protests outside hospitals and sexual health clinics providing abortion services. Just as an aside, let me say very clearly one issue, and there are many issues that I hope to champion from the backbenches of this chamber, but one is this. I will be a very vocal advocate for the introduction of safe access or buffer zones. Women have a fundamental human right to access healthcare, free of harassment and free of intimidation. Those who want to protest also have a democratic right to do so, but come and do it here where laws are made. Do not do it at hospitals and clinics where women are accessing their basic human rights. Those are some of the areas where we see pushback. We see basic human rights of women being denied in countries like Iran and Afghanistan. We have a continuing epidemic of violence, including sexual violence, perpetrated by men against women, and then there is what sometimes appears to be an upsurge in misogynistic abuse. Sexism and misogyny are not new phenomena—older women, including myself in this chamber, know that all too well—but social media amplifies and encourages those who are hostile to women's rights and those who are hostile to women. I genuinely worry about the impact that this has on women and girls generally, but in particular on our ability to attract women into public life. The environment in politics today for women—I do not say that lightly—is harsher and more hostile than at any time in my political career. That deeply concerns and appalls me, and we must challenge it. Women's equality, as I said earlier, remains an un-one cause. The theme of this year's conference Break the Bias could have been the theme in any one of the past 20 years. It is really easy to become frustrated, to become angry. I share that frustration and anger sometimes, and we need to channel it. Rage when it comes to making change in life can be a positive force, but we must not ever—I say this to the younger women in particular—don't ever allow it to breed despair in your heart. Alongside so much injustice and inequality, the fact is that Agnes set out that progress has been made. That must inspire all of us to believe that more progress can be made. There has been progress in representation. As I said earlier on, my niece's generation does not question any longer that a woman can be the First Minister of the country. The Scottish Cabinet has been gender balanced since 2014. I have been attacked for that regularly. Almost as if having women in a Cabinet reduces the quality of that Cabinet. I have told this story before, even at these events. When I first appointed a gender balanced Cabinet, I got lots of emails, including from women, asking how I knew that all of the women in my Cabinet were there on merit. I did not get a single email asking me how I knew that all the men were there on merit. So I will defend my gender balanced Cabinet because I am proud of my gender balanced Cabinet, and I will go on further today. I will challenge my successor, whoever he or she may be, to continue with gender balanced Governments in the future, because Scotland is better for it. The Scottish Parliament as a whole, as the Presiding Officer has said, is closer to 50 per cent representation than we have ever been. 46 per cent is not good enough, but it is getting there. Even in councils where there is much to do, we are seeing progress. So those increases in representation do not guarantee better policies and better politics, but they do make it much more likely. As Agnes was going through all of the achievements of this Parliament, cross-party achievements, many of them were, we should ask ourselves how many of them do we really believe would have been possible without women in here arguing the case. This Parliament was the first in the world to legislate for free period products. The first in the world to introduce a women's health plan. We have a feminist approach to foreign policy, which is vital in terms of some of the issues that the world is facing. We promote women's rights through our support for families, through our economic policies and through reforms to criminal justice. All of those things are really important. Three and four-year-olds, eligible two-year-olds, are now entitled to almost twice as much child care as was the case eight years ago. That saves families money, but it also makes it more possible for women to go into the workplace, pursue their own careers and opportunities. The convention has also argued for free school meals. Those are now available in Scotland to all children in primaries one to five. We are working to extend that right up to primary seven. We have prioritised support for families through policies such as the Scottish child payment and the baby box. We have also mitigated UK Government measures, for example the obscenity—I use that word deliberately—of the rape clause, which has a disproportionate impact on women and mothers in particular. All of those issues are not solely about gender equality. They are the right thing to do for everybody, but because women are still more likely to be primary carers, it is the case that if we help families, if we help children, we also disproportionately help women. That does not just lead to a fairer society, it helps us to create a stronger economy as well. It is better for women and for all of us, if women are able to contribute their ideas, skills and talents in the workplace. Again, we have seen progress in recent years. The gap between men and women's employment rates has more than half. The gender pay gap has reduced, although any gender pay gap is completely unacceptable. However, there is still so much more to do. We need to see more women—not just in politics but in senior positions on company boards. We were reminded during the pandemic that women still disproportionately work in sectors such as social care that are undervalued, and we need to do more to address that. We need to do more to support women in setting up their own businesses. We had a report published just a couple of weeks ago by Anna Stewart, a brilliant report into female entrepreneurship. There is so much to do to address something that is unacceptable. Right now, in Scotland, women are half the population—slightly more than half the population—but only around one in five businesses in Scotland is led by a woman, so it is time to address all of that. That report sets out some brilliant recommendations to allow it to do so. One of the things that the report put forward and supported might, on the face of it, seem surprising, but it is not, and it takes me into the final issue that I want to cover. That report on entrepreneurship in Scotland supported the idea of new criminal offences dealing with misogyny. That does seem surprising on a report fundamentally about the economy, but when you take a step back from it, it is not surprising. For as long as women face sexism and misogyny, abuse and harassment, as long as women live in fear of violence, women will never fulfil our true potential, so we need to address all of that as well. That is the final issue that I want to touch on, the importance of continuing progress in reforming the criminal justice system so that it works better for women. We have seen progress, new laws and one of the finest moments in this Parliament's history against domestic abuse and domestic violence, but very soon this Parliament will consider consultation on some proposals from Helena Kennedy's report last year on new criminal offences against misogynistic behaviour, making it easier to prosecute behaviour that does not easily fit into the existing criminal law, the kind of misogynistic abuse that women and girls get on the streets but now increasingly get online. Those provisions will also send a clearer signal than ever before about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in our society. Those will be forthcoming soon. They will be controversial, but those and associated reforms to make the criminal justice system better for victims of sexual violence and sexual abuse are vital in making sure that we have a criminal justice system reflective of a society that works better for women and for girls. All of those things are essential if we are going to continue the progress and overcome the challenges that we still face. My closing message to you today, and I guess my closing message to this event as First Minister, and it goes to everybody in this chamber right now, but I guess it goes particularly to those young women that I am looking out at right now. Keep the faith, keep the hope, keep the optimism in your heart. Make sure that it's always laced with a little bit of that rage that is always necessary for social progress everywhere, but never ever give in to despair. The talents of young women across our country are perhaps the biggest asset that we have as a country, so take confidence in the progress that has been made. However, as you take over the baton from older women like me, even older women like Agnes, then do it knowing that you've got right on your side, and you've got women like us on your side and at your back every step of the way. Let's keep going. The cause of gender equality is on one, but if we work together, if we pull together, if we make sure that sisterhood is something that we don't just talk about but live, then we will win that cause and we will win it in the generation that is coming after us. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart so much. Thank you First Minister. I would now like to introduce Grace Lennon and Zara De Almeda, who are both pupils at our ladies high school in Cumbernauld. Grace is a keen modern study student and has been learning about the issues facing women in society, for example misogyny and the gender pay gap. She's very keen to use this knowledge, as well as her experience of attending Scottish Women's Convention events to work in politics and to advocate for women as a future career. Zara is a rights respecting schools ambassador and has attended Scottish Women's Convention events in the past. Zara is passionate about English and politics and hopes to use her skills in these areas to become a role model for other young girls in her future career. We are going to hear firstly from Grace and then from Zara Grace. Good afternoon, my name is Zara De Almeda and I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity to address you all today. At no point did I think I would be speaking in a chamber I have learned so much about in school but I am so glad that I am doing so in front of so many inspiring women. I was privileged to attend International Women's Day 2022, which was very different to anything I have ever engaged in before. I was able to hear multiple women share their unique perspectives about their womanhood, which I found incredibly insightful. Those women inspired me and their words very much changed my outlook. My peers and I who attended this event were then invited to speak with some members of the SWC to discuss and question what being a young woman is like for us and, to be honest, it was refreshing to be asked that. I was amazed that, despite our age, people wanted to hear from us. I felt both included and listened to and it meant a great deal to me to know that I had a voice that wasn't being ignored. To be given such a big opportunity at this age makes me feel not only seen but a part of an important and valuable community. Throughout my life I have had many female role models, the first of which being my mum, who has always stood by me and supported me. To me, mothers are some of the most amazing people out there. They put our lives before theirs to care and love us and set the standard for empathy and dedication. Furthermore, for the past 12 years of my school journey have been led predominantly by women. My female teachers have been wonderful role models who have prepared us not only through their ability to educate but with their strength, leadership and influence. I hope that in 20 years more people will have the resilience, kindness and devotion that these women have taught me. As a young woman, I value my education, which in itself has opened my eyes to so many more role models out with my own community. The story of Malala Yusafzai, who in 2012 spoke out publicly on the behalf of girls and their right to education in Pakistan, has always inspired me. At the age of 15, only a year younger than I am now, Malala was shot on the left side of her face. She didn't let that affect her and in 2014, when she moved to the UK, she started the Malala fund to ensure that every girl could choose their own future. She continues to show remarkable bravery, courage and compassion. Her actions and intentions encourage me to be better and to address inequality if and when I see it. In 20 years, I can only wish that more women will have been influenced by the strength shown by Malala and that we will not take a backseat to the issues women are facing throughout the world. I hope that we will continue to help young girls and women no matter what. Speaking of my role models makes me think about what my future as a woman in Scotland is going to be like. In 20 years time, I want every girl and woman to expect respect, not demand it or ask for it, but simply expect it. From a young age, phrases such as He's only been horrible because he likes you have been repeated to me. These phrases only plant falsities into young minds and give mistreatment an excuse that should not have. I believe that we need to leave this mindset behind for consistent progression towards equality. In the future, normality for everyone should be equality and fairness. In 20 years, I look forward to more women being able to pursue their passions and careers that are currently considered to be a man's world. From the most recent Scotland's Labour market annual population survey, the percentage of women in construction was only 15.9 per cent, only 27.4 per cent of those in manufacturing were women, while women only make up 12.2 per cent of skilled trades employees. Currently, many young women won't even consider a job in these sectors due to negative pretenses and stereotypes, as well as the lack of respect women can receive within those sectors that are male dominated. These sectors are incredibly key to our labour market and are at the centre of big folksies such as Green Energy. Women should be at the forefront of these industries to ensure their success. My hope is that girls my age who are making important decisions concerning their future can willingly and happily apply for positions in any job that they want to pursue without the worry of them being a visible minority. I am so grateful that Scotland has organisations such as the Scottish Women's Convention, alongside numerous charities to help women and ensure that our voices are heard. We have a strong community that I believe will continue to prevail and grow throughout the next 20 years. Attending and now speaking at this event has truly motivated me to carry on advocating and sharing my views about how women should experience life in Scotland. I am optimistic that opportunities like this will present themselves to many more young women like me. I consider my role as a woman to be incredibly empowering and I will use the strength that it gives me to champion our community for years to come. Good afternoon. My name is Grace Lennon and I would like to start by saying that I am extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to not only share my experiences and thoughts with you today but to also learn and be inspired from all the amazing women here. I was honoured to attend last year's International Women's Day but I heard about the struggles, triumphs and experiences of different women. Engaging with those who attended, opened my eyes to the realities faced by women in Scotland and allowed me to put issues that I have learned about in modern studies such as discrimination in the glass ceiling into a real life context. It highlighted that women in this country face obstacles, which are out with their control, but it left me heartened at how integral women were in response to the pandemic and how valuable their contributions to society continue to be. I remember leaving last year's event feeling lucky. I felt lucky to be a woman, comforted by those around me who were dedicated to fighting for change and equality and privileged to be surrounded by such determined and focused female role models who face hardships with resilience and empathy, which is so often unique to women. Attending the round table event alongside Zara in the weeks after International Women's Day gave me a unique opportunity to discuss issues that, while hugely important, were not widely discussed within my peer group. We spoke about the challenges we have faced in society's young girls. For example, we spoke of the extreme pressures that beauty standards place on young girls and how that affected our body confidence and self-esteem. We also spoke about expectations in education and noted the impact of feeling left out when it comes to careers and subjects that are typically gender stereotyped. That opened up discussion among us about what expectations we had about our futures and gave us confidence to open up further discussion about our experiences as young women in this ever-changing society. My involvement with the SWC over the past year and my increased knowledge of social and gender inequality has given me the opportunity to really think about what I want my future and that of young girls to look like. I believe that it is important for all women to understand and notice unfairness so that they can challenge it and rise above it, but the ultimate aim is for no women to ever experience it. Twenty years may seem like a lifetime away, but it is actually so little time to make so much change. In 20 years, I want to see all women being paid equal to their male counterparts. A gender pay gap alone is unacceptable, but one of 15.4 per cent simply makes women more susceptible to poverty and sets them up for a life of inequality. I wish a life of safety for women living in Scotland. My hope is that women do not continue to be more likely to face harassment and abuse, that they do not feel scared when walking home alone and do not think twice when sharing posts online due to concerns about what people may do or think in response. I hope that Scotland holds a future without fear for women and a future where women are empowered and not viewed as objects. In 20 years, my hope is that double standards for women become redundant. Now, when women are placed in leadership roles and take charge, they are often viewed as overly emotional, or God forbid, not emotional enough. Their outfits are critiqued and at points their life choices questioned. However, male leaders are congratulated for their aggression and power. That is a double standard that exists not just in the workplace but in the years before. I hope that the constant double standards faced by girls my age will cease, that whatever a girl says or does, is not more likely to be ridiculed than the actions of boys. I hope that if a girl behaves more, sits quietly in school or tries harder than boys, she does so because she chooses to, not because she is expected to be a calming and reserved influence by society. I hope that the phrase, boys will be boys, is not used to justify misogyny and that girls are not used as the perfect example of how to behave and comply quietly. Ideally, in 20 years, misleading stereotypes and unnecessary pressures are a thing of the past and that individuality and choice are the norm. Despite all the obstacles society throws at women, there is nothing more empowering than seeing women fight for change and trailblaze in their chosen paths. I continue to be inspired by figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg who, through her work as director of the women's right project and her position on the Supreme Court, made massive leaps for women. In truth, there are so many famous and influential women that we can look up to—politicians such as our First Minister and activists such as Greta Thunberg. However, some of the best role models are the people closest to us—our teachers, our mothers, our sisters and our friends. Those ordinary women do extraordinary things and make compassion, courage, generosity, kindness and perseverance the norm. They set the best examples through navigating the challenges of being female in the 21st century, with the positivity and endurance that I will take with me forever. In closing, it is those communities of women and their enduring friendships that I will bring to change and make Scotland a brighter place for women and girls. I look forward to the part in which I intend to play within it. I would now like to introduce Dr Raddica Govinda, a senior lecturer in sociology at the School of Political Science at the University of Edinburgh and the director of GenderEd, the university's interdisciplinary network for gender and sexuality studies. Having lectured in gender studies in India, Dr Govinda's research and teaching practices focuses on the gender politics of development, intersectionality and feminist knowledge production. Dr Govinda also serves on the board of directors for Shakti Women's Aid. Good afternoon, everyone. I am absolutely delighted to be speaking to all of you about something that I'm very passionate about, the importance of intersectionality and the dangers of coloniality and the struggle for gender equality and women's rights today. It's not every day that I get to be in the august company of equality practitioners, policy makers, political leaders, teachers and students who too are invested in promoting gender equality. So my heartfelt thanks to the organisers, in particular to colleagues at the Scottish Women's Convention for inviting me to speak at this important occasion. I'll begin by sketching out, like teachers do, what I understand by gender equality and intersectionality and why intersectionality is so important when it comes to doing feminist advocacy and activism to engaging in development practice and in knowledge production on gender equality in the contemporary moment. I'll then shine light on the issue of coloniality, what it means and why we need to guard against it in our practices as feminists. In doing so, I'll briefly touch upon the lessons we can and must draw by looking back at the history of feminist and women's liberation movements when it comes to these issues. You'll agree looking back and learning is essential to looking forward. International Women's Day, as we know it, has been celebrated all over the world for over a century now with the first such gathering taking place in 1911. The day celebrates women's achievements and also marks a call to action for gender equality. If gender equality means men and women having the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities in life, including the ability to participate in the public sphere, then we have to ask equality between which women and which men, and what about non-binary folk? This is where the concept of intersectionality becomes pertinent. Intersectionality may have become something of a buzzword today, but in its original radical form, it is a conceptual and analytic tool to recognise that all women are not the same, that all men are not the same, that we need to go beyond mere gendered differences. When it comes to social inequality, people's lives and the organisation of power in a given society are better understood as being shaped not by a single axis of social division but by many axes that work together and influence each other. However, everyday approaches to building equality tend to focus on only one type of discrimination at one point of time, and this is a real challenge when working on gender equality. For instance, thinking about sexism and only working towards addressing that concern, but why the career of a young white able-bodied woman might improve with gender equality protections and older black disabled woman might continue to be hampered by racism, ageism and ableism in the workplace. Intersectionality is about understanding and addressing all potential roadblocks to an individual or group's well-being, but it is not as simple as adding up the oppressions one on top of the other individually. Racism, sexism, ableism do not exist on their own, they exist in combination and together compound and transform the experience of marginality and oppression. As many of you would know, the term intersectionality was coined by the North American legal feminist scholar activist Kimberly Crenshaw. However, it references a prior legacy with roots going all the way back to the 19th century. Way back in 1851 in fact, Sojourner Truth declared, ain't I a woman and challenge the sexist imagery used by male critics to justify the disenfranchisement of women. The scene was a women's rights convention in Ikron, Ohio in the United States. While male hecklers in walking stereotypical images of womanhood argued that women were too frail and delicate to take on the responsibility of political activity, when Sojourner Truth rose to speak, many white women urged that she be silenced, fearing that she would divert attention from women's voting rights to the emancipation of black slaves. Truth once permitted to speak, recounted the horrors of slavery, and its particular impact on black women. This was back in 1851, cut to 1989, which is when Kimberly Crenshaw published her now famous work on intersectionality, coining the term intersectionality. Almost 140 years later, Kimberly Crenshaw found that black women's issues were still falling through the cracks. In this sense, the phenomenon of intersectionality that is of intersecting identities resulting in multi-discrimination was not a new one. Intersectionality, like thinking, was emerging around the same time in different parts of the world, not only in the US, but also in the UK, in Latin America, in Africa, in South Asia, and so on. So neither was the idea of intersectionality an altogether new phenomenon nor was it limited to the global north. In the Indian context, which is where I come from, the roots of intersectional thinking can be traced to Savitri by Fule's writings on caste and gender. Widely regarded as a first woman teacher in India, as well as the founder of India's first girl's school, along with her husband Jyoti Raufule, Savitri by fought patriarchy and casteism when very few did. In 1851, so the same year as the African American abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth gave her entire woman's speech at the Women's Conference in Akron, Ohio, Fule was running three schools with 150 female students, especially those from a low caste background. But I bet why you may have heard of Sojourner Truth, you are less likely to have come across Savitri by Fule and her proto-intersectional ideas about Dalit feminists. That, my friends, is the politics of knowledge production for you, the domination of elite and global north in knowledge production as a function of coloniality. Let me take a moment to explain what I understand by coloniality, colonialism, and the new buzzword on the block, decolonisation. In contrast to the historically specific acts and periods of colonialism in the global south, which are deemed long over, coloniality persists in our everyday lives, in academia, in individual and collective understandings of the self and society. For me, decolonising is about disrupting the ways in which white bodies have established privileged relationships to indigenous lands, labour, natural resources and what counts as knowledge itself. A colleague of mine, Avina Oakesh, argues, and I agree that decolonising is about centering the voices, perspectives, people's movements and scholarship from the majority world that is loosely the global south. In my teaching practice, I encourage my students to employ a comparative lens for it as much to offer in challenging coloniality, and much of my teaching is around gender and sexuality studies. Encouraging this comparative lens often leads to a questioning of the supposed superiority of the west and the rest playing catch up to it in terms of progressive ideas and development and shed light on the diversity within the rest. Let me give you an example. I'm an academic so I will draw from my academic experience and reading. Uma Narayan, one feminist academic, compares and contrasts in her book, Dislocating Cultures, dowry murders in India with domestic violence murders in the United States. She questions the ways in which culture is invoked in explanations of forms of violence against third world women while it is not similarly invoked in explanations of forms of violence that affect mainstream western women. She argues that such asymmetries, the unevenness and cultural explanation result in pictures of third world that is women from the global south as victims of their own culture in ways that are interestingly different from the way in which victimisation of mainstream western women is understood. Of course these are big words, big ideas, complex ideas and as a feminist academic of colour from the global south I have been thinking about these concerns for some years now and just because I am from the global south or that I am brown doesn't mean that I have made significant headway in thinking through and processing these ideas and these experiences. I think of decolonising as a journey rather than a destination, one that I am myself part of. After all I went, I am also a product of a system of education which very much is, has the imprint of coloniality on it. So I want to conclude by sharing with you a firm conviction of mine and a sincere plea. It's my conviction that if we are to learn from our past we must envisage a feminist future that disrupts this kind of coloniality in activism, in advocacy and in knowledge creation, whether that is in schools, whether that is in our universities and so on. An intersectionality is and can be a valuable tool in this process. Now about my plea. My sincere plea to all of you is that the onus of decolonising feminist practices must be on all of us, on academics as well as activists and practitioners, on political leaders and those from the global south as well as those from the global north, on white women as well as on women of colour alike. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Govinda. I would now like to invite you all to watch a short compilation video to hear from a range of women across Scotland on how their lives have been impacted in the last 20 years, both by the Scottish Parliament and by attending events such as this with the Scottish Women's Convention. This year every girl in our school removed their ties to show solidarity with the girls in Iran. We think it is so important to educate those in our school about the gender atrocities that are still happening across the world. This year during Women's History Month classes across the school are studying forgotten women who have not received the recognition they deserve. It's too often that we are taught about the successes of men when we can learn about Ada Lovelace and the literally park women. Even in 2023 too many young women will not take part in PE or science because they feel out of place. We want this to change. We celebrated the act of girls that a day dedicated to engaging young girls in PE and successful female scientists spoke to us about how we can reach our full potential. We are extremely proud that many of the young women in our school will continue to challenge the stereotypes placed upon us. It's through the work of the Scottish Women's Convention and providing positive role models to young women that we can forge a world fear of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. 20 years of the Scottish Women's Convention and 20 years of many initiatives to help improve the health of the people of Scotland. One of these initiatives started in August 2017 and that was the baby box. In August 2017 my life changed completely when I became granny to Iona and Iona was one of the very first babies to receive this baby box and I as a midwife was most impressed with the contents of this. So this initiative was delivered to every new born scott from August 2017. How wonderful to be able to say hello baby welcome to Scotland whatever their parents heritage was. Here they were this new generation valued and nourished to grow to be part of our new Scotland. Hi my name is Nazia Niziam. I have attended many international women's days events at the Scottish Parliament and have helped out with numerous SWC conferences. I am a strong believer in equal rights for women in Scotland and through the SWC's work I have heard directly from women the major impact domestic violence can have on their lives. The Domestic Abuse Act introduced in 2018 has went some way to tackle violence against women and girls providing better protections. However from listening to women's lived experiences I know there's still so much more to do which is where the SWC comes in. So happy we are celebrating 20 years of the SWC and let's look forward to the next 20 which will hopefully be free of violence against women and girls. Hi everybody my name is Catherine Johnson. I've been involved with the Scottish Women's Convention for around 15 years now and I've come along to many international women's day events during this time as well as helping out in the conferences and many topics that we've held. One topic which is especially significant to me is women's health and in particular the continued commitment to free prescriptions that we have in Scotland. It's made such a huge difference in my own life and from the lived experience gathered by the Scottish Women's Convention I know that it's been vital in women and women's lives across Scotland as well so happy 20 years to Scottish Women's Convention and thanks for all the work you do it's really really appreciated. I'm Lorraine and I have run youth arts development projects at Skyl Halsch for over 16 years. The projects have provided much needed to perform an arts education and performance opportunities for children and adults but predominantly involving girls and young women. I have had the absolute privilege of supporting them and nurturing their talent and creativity but the most significant benefit to young women I see is the impact on their confidence and their well-being. Women and girls are also feeling supported through the new legislation such as the period poverty bill. I have witnessed through my own work how this has been a great success we can all access this in our local halls community centres schools workplaces the list goes on. Happy 20th birthday to the Scottish Women's Convention and thank you for all the work that you have done to support women. Happy 20 years to the SWC it was a privilege a few years ago to take part in the Scottish Women's Convention International Women's Day celebration in your Scottish Parliament so I want to send a message of congratulations from our centre in Wales. Thank you for everything you've done over the past 20 years to support, enable and empower women. Diolch a chlamd y bach i arall i. Happy 20 years to the Scottish Women's Convention and many congratulations to you all. I've been honoured to be involved in the work of the SWC for a number of years and I've been genuinely inspired by the wonderful dynamic and diverse group of women involved in this great organisation. The SWC has given women in Scotland a voice to have their views and their experiences transmitted to the heart of decision making and policy making across Scotland, challenging and breaking the bias on a vast range of issues. Keep up the good work and here's to the next 20 years. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who took part in that video and thank you to all who have contributed to this first part of our afternoon. I would now like to announce a 10 minute comfort break and I'd be very grateful if we could all get back together here at 20 past. Thank you all very much indeed.