SCOTLAND'S most prominent female politicians have raised concerns that the independence debate has yet to be shaped by women's voices.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran addressed the Scottish Women's Convention (SWC) in Glasgow last week to encourage more women to get involved in key independence issues.

Sturgeon said: "With devolution we have been able to increase the amount of childcare available … But with independence we can go beyond this.

"This is a social and economic transformation that, as a matter of fact, can only be achieved when we have access to all of Scotland's resources. And that's why we need independence to deliver it in full."

Curran spoke of progress made on women's rights by Labour women such as Barbara Castle, Maria Fyfe and Harriet Harman.

"These changes altered women's lives forever," she said. "How did we achieve these changes? We did it with women working together across the UK."