CAMPAIGNERS have called for an end to a behind the scenes "boys' club" at Holyrood after Kezia Dugdale revealed an all-male top team despite previously leading demands for gender equality in politics.
The Scottish Labour leader, who launched the Women 50:50 campaign two years ago calling for equal representation in parliament, councils and public boards, has recently appointed an all-male trio to senior posts to help her co-ordinate strategy, communications and policy.
While the three largest Holyrood parties are fronted by women, not one of the five parties currently employs a female press officer among their Scottish Parliament staff, sparking calls for all leaders to do more to ensure greater equality behind the scenes as well as in public-facing roles.
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Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, is supported by Director of Strategy and Communications Eddie Barnes with four other male staffers working on press and policy. She this week unveiled a seven-person expert group to advise her on Brexit that included just one woman.
The most influential non-elected party political female in Scottish politics is Liz Lloyd, Nicola Sturgeon's chief of staff. But while the First Minister recently revealed that her Government would introduce legislation to ensure gender balance on public boards, just three of 11 other special advisors, senior staffers who are employed at public expense and offer political advise to SNP ministers, are female.
Talat Yaqoob, Chair of Women 50:50 said: "We need women at every level of politics and that includes standing behind the leaders of parties. With the majority of senior staff and spokespeople being men, we continue to give the impression that politics is a "boys club".
"These are the people advising our representatives and parties - they have significant influence over policy decisions made - and these policies impact women's lives, therefore there should be effort made by parties to ensure they are recruiting a diverse range of talent. I want to see more women making the decisions and I want to see more women advising on how those decisions are made."
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Ms Dugdale recently made Alan Roden, the former Scottish Daily Mail political editor, her Director of Communications while party staffers David Ross and Martin McCluskey were promoted to Acting Head of Policy and Political Director respectively.
She remains a member of the Women 50:50 campaign steering group, alongside Ms Yaqoob, SNP MSP Christina McKelvie and Green MSP Alison Johnstone. Scottish Labour employs women in the roles of head of corporate affairs and events and head of campaigns.
There are 45 female MSPs, around 35 per cent of total members and fewer than were elected in 1999 or 2003. Among Labour's benches, 45.8 per cent of MSPs are women, compared to 42.8 per cent for the SNP, 19.3 per cent for the Tories and 16.7 per cent among the Greens. None of the Liberal Democrat MSPs are female.
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: "Kezia Dugdale is the most senior elected female in the Labour Party across the UK, and as a founding member of Women 50:50 she ensured there was gender balance in her first Shadow Cabinet.
"At this year’s Scottish Parliament Election, Labour ensured there was 50/50 gender balance among its candidates and now has a greater proportion of female MSPs than any other party in Holyrood.
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"New appointments have been made to our team as we prepare for local government elections in 2017, and build towards the UK General Election in 2020 and the Holyrood election in 2021."
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