The Glass Ceiling Is Higher, Not Broken

The idea that we need to encourage more women in politics is not an uncommon one and it's certainly not one I disagree with.

As a woman interested in politics myself there are very few women in politics whom I can look up to. This is not because there's a lack of talented women, it's that for some reason they're turned off to the idea. However, all-woman shortlists are - in my opinion - not the way to solve this issue. It's said that since Labour implemented all-woman shortlists that a female candidate has never won against a male candidate on an open shortlist. If true, that really does not sound like a progressive and liberal way forward for the Liberal Democrats. That's why it's concerning to me that Willie Rennie has backed the idea of gender quotas and all-woman shortlists.

There are many issues with all-woman shortlists but one of the glaring ones to me is that the right candidate could not be chosen because they had to fill a quota. Or someone would feel pressured into putting themselves forward because there was an expectation to do so because of their gender. It doesn't even touch on the subject of gender identity and those who do not necessarily identify as male or female, whether that's mentally or because they'd been born intersex. We cannot say "Sorry you do not fit our rigid boxes of either A or B due to the nature of how you happened to be born so no thanks", that's more backwards than I can even begin to describe.

But to return to the issue of getting a gender balance in the Scottish Lib Dems we cannot expect to encourage women in politics if we keep, for some reason, hammering home this seemingly huge difference between men and women by forcing women into another category all on their own. Women have been fighting for years to break the glass ceiling in place and that glass ceiling isn't removed with gender-specific shortlists, it's simply made higher so it gives the illusion of progress. But do not be fooled, it's most definitely still there. When we keep referring to women as anything other than human beings who are just as capable of doing a job in politics as men then we keep perpetuating the sexism that equality movements have fought so hard against for the longest time.

* Rebecca Plenderleith is a new member.