Festival of Politics: ‘She’s Running! How Women Can Stand and Succeed' panel discussion

Published: 16 October 2019

The John Smith Centre for Public Service in partnership with the Scottish Parliament presented a fascinating discussion on women in politics

On Saturday 12 October, the John Smith Centre for Public Service returned to the Scottish Parliament’s annual Festival of Politics with a panel discussion on ‘She’s Running! How Women Can Stand and Succeed.’ Chaired by BBC broadcaster Andrew Marr, it featured leading female figures in public service, including Ruth Davidson MSP, Talat Yaqoob, Dr Meryl Kenny, and Danielle Rowley MP.

The panel touched on various issues surrounding women in politics, including the difficulties of combining motherhood and public office, the merits of all-women shortlists, the brutality of social media trolling towards women in public life, and the importance of an intersectional approach when looking at issues of inequality.

The guests also took questions from the audience which covered topics such as increasing aggression in the language of political debate; gender bias in the media and how it impacts on political reporting; and advice from the panel on standing for election as a woman.

For further details on the event please read the live-tweet thread from the John Smith Centre.


First published: 16 October 2019

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