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SWBG blog

Reflections on the UK Budget

Our Coordinator, Sara Cowan, shares her thoughts on the UK Autumn Statement

Reflecting on Challenge Poverty Week 2024

Our Policy and Engagement Lead, Carmen Martinez, reflects on this year’s Challenge Poverty Week.

Is investing in childcare worth it? A summary

The Scottish Women’s Budget Group (SWBG) is hosting a series of events focusing on the need and rationales for further investment in childcare. Our first two events examined issues of affordability and lack of flexibility in childcare provision in Scotland. The third webinar in this series, “Is investing in childcare worth it?”, delved into how investing in childcare is crucial to supporting the creation of a more inclusive and prosperous economy, as well as child development.

News! Fa'side Women and Girls Group Award Winning Work

Fa'side Women and Girls Group has been recognised for its inter-generational approach to its cost-of-living project jointly delivered with Making Rights Real and The Scottish Women's Budget Group. 

Women’s Work: The Juggling Act of Multiple Jobs

Guest blog by Louise Lawson, Lecturer in Public Policy and Health Policy in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

Recognising the needs of parents of multiples in the upcoming Programme for Government

Joint blog by Carmen Martinez, SWBG's Coordinator, and Carole Erskine, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Pregnant then Screwed Scotland.

Flexible childcare, an ideal or a necessity? A summary

The Scottish Women’s Budget Group (SWBG) is hosting a series of events focusing on the need to further invest in childcare in Scotland. To mark International Women’s Day, we delivered the second webinar of this series, Flexible childcare, an ideal or a necessity?

Empowering Voices: Why Disabled Women Matter in the Scottish Budget

Guest blog based on Jennifer Way-Ogunsola's reflections on our Women's Economic Empowerment Project.  Jennifer is a policy analyst and Masters Student at the Wise Centre for Economic Justice. 

Equalities, women and cuts to public services

Our Coordinator, Carmen Martinez, reflects on the way in which Aberdeenshire Council justified its decision to close their out-of-school-hours care service and the language used by the Glasgow HSCP in their EQIA Budget Report, and questions whether these are examples of a broader trend.  

Women and active travel: lessons from our work with Sustrans

Our Training Lead, Heather Williams, discusses why the work we did with Sustrans is key to reducing inequalities in active travel.

Women's Survey 2024 Launch

On Friday 1st March we launched our Women's Survey 2024

The cost of funding tax giveaways. Reflections ahead of the UK Spring Budget 2024

Blog by Heather Williams, SWBG Training Lead

What’s wrong with childcare in Scotland? A summary

The Scottish Women’s Budget Group (SWBG) is hosting a series of events focusing on the need to further invest in childcare in Scotland. Last month, we hosted the first webinar, ‘What’s wrong with childcare In Scotland? Perspectives ahead of the Scottish Budget 2024/2025’.

Reaction to the Scottish Budget 2024/2025: Cuts to the Housing Portfolio

Our Engagement and Public Affairs Officer, Yve Barry, reflects on the recent cuts in the Scottish Budget 2024/25 Housing Portfolio and their gendered implications for women across the country. 

Reaction to the Scottish Budget 2024/2025

On Tuesday 19th December, the Deputy First Minister (DFM), Shona Robinson, published the Scottish Budget 2024/2025. As stated in our pre-budget briefing, we knew that this budget was coming at a time of increased pressure on public finances due to an estimated funding gap of over £1billion for the next financial year (Fraser of Allander, 2023). The Autumn Statement did not help ease budgetary pressures. Consequently, the Scottish Government had to make tough decisions to balance the books. What are these decisions and what do they mean for women and gender equality in Scotland?  

Invest to prevent VAWG

Blog by Robyn Moffat-Wall, Training and Engagement Officer at Financially Included & Heather Williams, SWBG's Training Lead about women's experiences of public sector debt.

Reaction to the Autumn Statement

Our Training Lead, Heather Williams, reflects on yesterday's budget announcements.

What SWBG would like to see in the Autumn Statement

In times of insecurity and increasing levels of poverty and destitution (JRF 2023), comments about what may be included in the Chancellor’s statement leave little room to aspire to (Binns, 2023). While many issues remain devolved, public spending and tax issues as well as block grants, have a great impact on Scotland. This blog will detail what we’d like to see in the upcoming statement, especially in relation to advancing gender equality across the UK.

Can we achieve equality, provide opportunity, and create community by freezing Council Tax? 

Our Coordinator, Carmen Martinez, reflects on the gendered implications of the First Minister's recent announcement about freezing Council Tax.

Childcare Survey 2023 Launch

Our Coordinator, Carmen Martinez, discusses the launch of our Childcare Survey 2023.

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