As Nicola Sturgeon announces her resignation, what has the first minister done for women?
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Nicola Sturgeon has announced her resignation as Scotland's first minister after more than eight years in the role. Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh today, Sturgeon said that she knew "in my head and in my heart" that this was the right time to step down, although she did not announce when she would depart from office, with many assuming she will allow time for a successor to be elected first.
Sturgeon has been a member of the Scottish Parliament since 1999, and became the deputy leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2004. She took over from Alex Salmond as first minister in 2014 following the independence referendum, making her the longest-serving first minister in Scottish history.
As for why Sturgeon is stepping down from the role, a source close to the first minister told the BBC that she has "had enough".
News that Sturgeon is calling time on being Scotland's first minister came as somewhat of a shock to fans, many of whom took to social media to praise her leadership. "I absolutely love @NicolaSturgeon and I won’t even hide the fact that I’m absolutely saddened to see her go," one person tweeted in response to the news, with someone else adding: "Even Nicola Sturgeon’s critics should acknowledge that she has been Britain’s most talented, persuasive and successful politician for the last eight years."
Others commented on how much Sturgeon has done for women and women's rights, with one fan writing on Twitter: "Her resilience has always and will continue to inspire me and other women."
With that in mind, we decided to take a look back at everything Sturgeon – who describes herself as a "lifelong feminist" – has done to champion women during her time as first minister...
What has Nicola Sturgeon done for women?
She tackled women's health inequalities
During Sturgeon's time as first minister, Scotland became the first country in the UK to publish a Women’s Health Plan. The plan set out 66 action points to ensure all women have access to the best possible healthcare and outlined ambitious improvements to areas impacting women's health, including menopause, menstrual health (including endometriosis) and sexual health.
She strived to make workplaces more inclusive
Under Sturgeon's leadership, the SNP launched the Workplace Equality Fund to champion workplace equality with a focus on gender, age, race and disability. The Workplace Equality Fund – backed by £800,000 in funding – aimed to improve diversity in the workplace and included initiatives such as the Women Returners Program to support women who have had a career break get back into work.
She pushed for psychological domestic abuse and controlling behaviour to become a crime
To support survivors of domestic abuse, Sturgeon pushed to make Scotland one of the few countries across the world where psychological abuse is a crime. This means that there is dedicated legislation that not only covers physical abuse but also coercive and controlling behaviour which was difficult to prosecute under the previous criminal law.
She championed gender reforms
One of Sturgeon's biggest passion projects during her time as first minister was the championing of gender reforms. Under her leadership, the SNP laid out plans to make it easier for Scots to change their legally recognised gender, arguing that the current process – which requires people to apply to a UK gender recognition panel and typically show evidence of a gender dysphoria diagnosis – is too difficult and invasive.
And everything else
Of course, it would be impossible to summarise Sturgeon's many wins in one article, and there is much to unpack about her time in office, which also saw her fight against the Conservative's 'Rape Clause' (which requires women to prove they’ve been raped in order to receive financial support for more than two children) and support the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
It's clear that across her decades-long political career, Sturgeon has repeatedly championed women's rights and women in both Scotland and the rest of the UK have a lot to thank her for. As one fan on Twitter said so perfectly: "Nicola Sturgeon was a powerhouse, who led with integrity and strength... I admire her. It’ll be hard to fill her shoes."
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