The Unofficial Report – Details, episodes & analysis

Join Sarah Cowie and Anna Cowan for the latest episode of The Unofficial Report as they unravel the WiPA Manifesto Mini-Series! With Holyrood 2026 on the horizon, discover how you can make your mark in the world of policy and public affairs. Tune in to learn the importance of crafting concise, impactful asks, understanding key dates, and presenting your data to resonate with the Scottish political parties.As ever, stay connected with WiPA Scotland by following us on LinkedIn and subscribing to our newsletter for the latest updates and events.

In the latest episode of our podcast - The Unofficial Report - we spoke to Lauren Currie OBE, Founder of UPFRONT, an organisation on a mission to change confidence, visibility, and power for 10 million women.

In just 30 minutes, we cover:

- Why imposter syndrome isn’t your fault

- The myth of work-life balance and why we need to talk about working mothers

- Her new children's book to teach children and the grown ups around them about the patriarchy

- Paying the cringe tax and what we can learn from the PIE model (Performance, Image, Exposure).

In this episode of the Unofficial Report, Sarah Cowie and Clare Slipper chat with Executive Director of Close the Gap, Anna Ritchie Allan.

We have a fascinating conversation with Anna where we hear all about the crucial difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay; intersectionality within gender pay gap reporting; and what companies can do to make their organisations more inclusive!

If you'd like to find out more about Close the Gap, visit their website here: https://www.closethegap.org.uk/

In this live episode event, WiPA Scotland Co-Chair, Lucy Miller and Glasgow Councillor for the Scottish Green Party, Holly Bruce speak about their experiences of being bisexual women in public life.

Lucy and Holly chat about coming out in both a personal and professional capacity, queer representation in Scottish politics and some interesting celebrity crush admissions!

2024 is set to witness the highest number of people head to the polls, ever! It’s a big year for politics and a huge opportunity to see more women enter elected office.

On this episode of the Unofficial Report, Ashley and Lucy are joined by Hannah Stevens, CEO of Elect Her, a not-for-profit organisation that work to motivate, support and equip women in all their diversity to stand for political office in Britain. We talk about all things representation of women in elected office, including: why men still hold the majority of elected positions, what needs to change to empower more women to run, and some examples of work that exists to dismantle the structures that hold women back.

If you want to hear more about Elect Her, you can go to:

• Website: https://www.elect-her.org.uk/
• Twitter/X & Instagram: @ElectHer_UK
• Email: community@elect-her.org.uk

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Gender sensitive audit of the Scottish Parliament: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/spcb/gender-sensitive-audit.pdf
• The Equal Representation Coalition’s Equal Representation Tool Kit: https://www.equalrepresentation.scot/
• Resources on running for elected office: https://www.elect-her.org.uk/resource-hub

In this latest episode of The Unofficial Report, Lucy Miller and Sarah Cowie discuss their thoughts on some of the topics raised at our recent Women in Finance event, kindly sponsored by RBS. As well as musings on life and politics, financial literacy and *girllbossification*.

Join Clare and Sarah for this International Women's Day themed episode of The Unofficial Report!

On this episode, we're joined by Jenni Snell, CEO at The Young Women's Movement Scotland. Tune in to hear all about Jenni's journey to becoming a CEO, what needs to change in the public affairs sector to support women into senior leadership roles, and some of the work of YWM including their recent report into young women's experiences of healthcare in Scotland.

You can find more information about the work of YMS and their recent reports, and how to get involved below:

Young Women’s Health & Wellbeing

• Status of Young Women in Scotland report 22/23 - https://www.youngwomenscot.org/syws / 
• Safe Access Zones – https://www.youngwomenscot.org/blog/young-women-and-safe-access-zones
• EmBody to EmPower toolkit - https://www.youngwomenscot.org/embody-to-empower

Young Women’s Leadership

• Developing Young Women’s Feminist Leadership: Young Women Lead - https://www.youngwomenscot.org/young-women-lead & Empowering Pathways https://www.youngwomenscot.org/empowering-pathways
• Climate Justice emerging area of work e.g. Ecocide Bill Response https://www.youngwomenscot.org/blog/young-women-ecocide-and-feminist-climate-justice 

Recent YWM and women’s sector policy wins/success stories:

• Young Women Lead Glasgow work on Feminist Town planning was pivotal in Glasgow becoming the first city in the UK to embed feminist lens in planning in 2022 - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6413232bf29ba901ed614415/t/64367fbd46b4f85cb868823c/1681293269338/YWL+Glasgow.pdf
• In 2022 our Young Women Rise research informed service design change at a national level with Scottish Women’s Aid and led to further local research and service design change for example in Edinburgh Rape Crisis & Women’s Aid East and Midlothian https://www.ercc.scot/your-vision-support-for-young-women-in-east-lothian-2/
• YWM's Status of Young Women in Scotland Research (2023) is being used to inform the next Women’s Health Plan and we’re currently working with SG Women’s Health plan team on more specific topics for example young women’s relationship with contraception.
• Currently working on the Safe Access Zones Bill and we’re providing evidence to parliament on why we believe the bill is needed. Hopeful that bill will pass will bring about much needed and overdue change for women.

Ways to get involved with YWM in coming year

• Join us at events - Feminist Wellbeing Workshops taking place this year which will be launched soon.
• Young Women Lead – launching in March (on the theme of democratic wellbeing)
• Research (co-design groups, participatory research/peer research) – finalising a few details on a couple of projects but information on how to get involved will be shared on socials and website. Survey for Cost of Living research will be coming out in April.
• Co-design campaigns – We’ll be launching recruitment for a new campaign in early summer.
• Volunteer with us –  opportunities are shared on our website & Social and include blog editors and event volunteers.
• Shape our policy responses through our survey/events.
• Fundraise for us – new fundraising pack launching on IWD
• Businesses, charities and public services can also commission us to conduct research, audits and deliver trainings and policy support in relation to gender-equality and young women in the workplace.
• For more info, go to our website: https://www.youngwomenscot.org/ or follow us on X/Twitter and Instagram @youngwomenscot

For the first episode of 2024, new podcast co-leads Sarah Cowie and Ashley McLean chat to our new co-chairs Lucy Miller, Ellie Wagstaff and Jodie Hedley about their plans for WiPA in 2024 and beyond, as well as musings on politics, careers, and most importantly, The Traitors.

For this month's episode, WiPA Scotland's Kimberley Somerside and Lucy Miller spoke with Ashley McLean, Policy and Parliamentary Officer for The Poverty Alliance, about the work of the Alliance and addressing poverty in Scotland in 2023.

This conversation took place ahead of Challenge Poverty Week, taking place from 2-8 October. For more information, visit www.povertyalliance.org/cpw.

Liz Lloyd is a highly accomplished political figure and strategist, renowned for her role as the former Chief of Staff and Strategic Adviser to Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister of Scotland. With a strong intellect, unwavering dedication, and exceptional skills in government operations, Lloyd has made a significant impact on the political landscape of Scotland. This episode of The Unofficial Report was taken from an in-person event on June 21, 2023 in conversation with Liz Lloyd.