This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Recognition for Suffragette Movement
07/03/2005
The lasting contribution that the suffragette movement
made to Scottish democracy is to be recognised by the
government.
On the eve of International Women's Day, Communities
Minister Malcolm Chisholm said that Ministers are to
commission a sculpture to stand as a permanent tribute to
the dedication and sacrifice that Scottish suffragettes and
many other women made in gaining the vote and advancing
democracy.
The sculpture will be located at the Scottish Parliament
and is expected to be completed by March 2006. The budget
is up to £50,000.
Mr Chisholm said:
"It is now 77 years since women achieved full voting
rights as a direct result of the efforts of the
suffragettes.
"As we celebrate International Women's Day, it is right
that we recognise the importance and influence of the
Scottish movement in the early 20th century.
"We will commission a sculpture to serve as a permanent
reminder of the contribution of suffragettes, and I look
forward to seeing it in place at the Parliament.
"International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the
achievement of women worldwide, and to highlight those
areas where progress and change are still needed.
Unfortunately, we still do not have gender equality, and we
will continue to drive forward that objective in everything
we do."
Deputy Presiding Officer Trish Godman said:
"The Scottish Parliament has the third highest
proportion of elected women Members of any Parliament, and
is a fitting home for a sculpture marking the struggle for
women's right to vote.
"The arrival of the sculpture next year will coincide
with the centenary year of the Scottish Women's Suffragette
Federation, and the fact that almost 40 percent of my
colleagues in Parliament are women shows just how far we
have come in the last hundred years."
International Women's Day dates back to March 8, 1857,
when hundreds of women workers in New York City staged a
strike against low pay.
In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United
Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women's
Day.