Single parents outside parliament. Engender
addresses gender inequalities in issues like childcare
(PA/EMPICS)
Did you know that although women live longer than men, they
are ill a lot more of the time? That over 90% of single-parent
households are female? That women are more likely to be in low-paid,
part-time work than men?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, then you're
a target of the women's rights group Engender,
which exists to raise awareness about these discrepancies – and
to do something about them. Based in Scotland, Engender's been
active since 1994, working to change the social and political
landscape of the country.
The group's biggest victory came in 1999, just after the creation
of the Scottish parliament. It had organised a petition, '50/50',
that was part of a struggle for equal gender representation in
Scotland. The effort brought the tally of female Scottish MPs
up to 48 of 129, and created a 37.2% ratio for total representation.
Engender has 300 active female members and is on the hunt for
more. These people mean business. If you can't join the group
– for instance, if you're male – take a look at the site anyway
and see what a little bit of organisation and hard work can do. |
