Second Focus of Scrutiny

The NACWG’s Second Focus of Scrutiny is examining aspects of Scottish Government’s response to the cost-of-living crisis, through an intersectional gendered lens. In particular, the NACWG are looking at whether this has met the needs of the most marginalised women and girls.

The NACWG have been engaging with Scottish Government officials, the Empowering Women Panel, and external stakeholders to discuss how the cost-of-living crisis has been disproportionately affecting women and girls.

Two stakeholder roundtables have been held with women’s organisations, projects that deliver services to women, and other anti-poverty organisations to discuss the gendered dimensions and impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, Scottish Government interventions and potential solutions. The roundtable discussion were rich with evidence and information on how women’s and girls’ lives are being affected by the cost-of-living crisis. A visual has been created to show the overlapping nature of the impacts for women and girls from marginalised backgrounds. You can see and download this here.

The Empowering Women Panel have shared their  lived experience of the cost-of-living crisis with NACWG. Panel members have conducted a peer research project on the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on women and girls, which you can read about here.

NACWG members have also been blogging about how they are observing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on women and girls – see our blog from Rape Crisis Scotland.

The NACWG are currently engaging with Scottish Government on their response to the cost-of-living crisis, by asking accountability questions and assessing the extent to which marginalised women and girls have been central to their decision-making.

Following this there will be a NACWG Accountability Event held early next year in which the NACWG, the Empowering Women Panel and Scottish Government senior officials and Ministers will come together to collectively discuss the NACWG’s observations.