SWBG blog
Women's Survey 2023 Launch
We have just launched our Women’s Survey 2023!
Following on from our first survey last year, we are asking women across Scotland about their spending priorities during the cost-of-living crisis. This year we are also interested in hearing about women’s experiences of transport and housing. We ask questions related to cost, energy efficiency, and safety. As well as providing a space for women to share other priorities they think need to be considered by decision makers across Scotland.
For us, it was important to continue asking questions about the cost-of-living crisis and its impact on women in Scotland. Following last year's survey, we undertook a research project with the Poverty Alliance which highlighted the accumulating burden of the cost-of-living crisis on women on low incomes in Scotland. Many impacts included deepening experiences of poverty and hardship, and negative effects on mental and physical health. These impacts were intersectional with asylum seeking women experiencing food insecurity, women with caring responsibilities reporting that they were struggling to afford essential items, and lone parents facing further pressure to support households financially. Experiences shared in our 2023 survey will help us call for greater action and support through government budget processes.
Transport is another key issue for us this year. Similarly, our research with the Poverty Alliance found intersecting issues with rising costs and transport. Women in this research reported unaffordable and unreliable public transport. Women shared experiences of not being able to travel to health appointments and reducing social activities due to such high costs. We want to understand the potential scale of this challenge across Scotland as women are more likely to use public transport and 'trip-chain' due to the structural inequalities of caring responsibilities and managing households. We also ask questions about long-standing issues around safety and the suitability of active travel routes.
Rooted in rising costs are questions about housing, particularly around energy efficiency which we know also intersects with responding to climate change. Women in our research with the Poverty Alliance reported that they were limiting or going without energy in the household. Our report on 'Women, Work and Wealth in Scotland's changing economy 2022' also highlights how rising energy bills are disproportionately impacting low-income households and those in rural Scotland. We hope to find out more about the overall picture of housing for women in Scotland.
This survey is crucial to us at SWBG as our work is driven by women’s economic experiences in Scotland. Information provided in the survey will be used in developing campaigns, highlight issues affecting women in the media, inform government consultation responses, and as part of our training. Last year’s survey provided crucial feedback to support our work through the year.
How can you help us?
We’d like to hear different views from women across Scotland as this is pivotal to reflecting the intersectional and diverse realities of women in all local authorities. We are particularly interested in hearing from more ethnic minority women, women that are carers, and women who are single parents.
We are also offering a £25 voucher to 10 people who complete the survey, this will be selected at random. 
If you haven’t done so already, we’d like your support to share this survey to help us reach a diverse range of women across Scotland. You can do this by: 
- Sharing the survey through your social media account (if possible)
- Sharing amongst your networks
- Sharing with any women’s groups you might work with 
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