Engendering the Independence Debate

Abstract

Women's voices and issues of gender equality have been largely missing from wider constitutional debates in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. This stands in sharp contrast to their prominence in the devolution debates of the 1990s. This contribution asks why this is the case, assessing the gendered dimensions of the referendum debate, and evaluating the opportunities and challenges that the independence referendum offers for women and for gender equality, focusing in particular on women's political representation.