Scottish Parliament Election 2026: Young Women Demand’s guide to the party manifestos
Scottish Parliament Election 2026
Young Women Demand’s guide to the party manifestos
- Information
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- Rights
- Young Women Demand
At Young Women Demand, we believe that our very existence as young women is political. But we also understand that politics can feel confusing, difficult to follow and just not designed with young women in mind.
Ahead of the Scottish Parliament election on Thursday 7th May 2026, we’ve gone through each of the 6 major political parties’ manifestos and pulled out what they are actually saying (or not saying) about the issues that matter most to young women and girls in Scotland. We’ve used our own Young Women Demand manifesto as our guide, which was co-designed by young women and girls across Scotland, and sets out six key areas that we want politicians to act on.
Whether you are voting for the first time, or just want to feel more informed, this party manifesto guide is for you!
We believe that gender equality, protection from violence and reproductive rights matter, and we want every young woman to be able to see clearly where each party stands on the issues that affect their life. We’re not here to tell you who to vote for – that is entirely your choice. We’ve created this guide to help you decide, making sure you have all the information you need, as a young woman in Scotland with democratic power.
It’s your vote. Your rights. Your future.
The Scottish Parliament has devolved powers, meaning it can make laws on issues such as health, education, housing and justice. However some areas, such as social media regulation and parts of equality law, are reserved to the UK Parliament in Westminster. This means that some commitments in this guide involved the Scottish Government calling on the UK Government to act. Find out more about devolved and reserved powers.
Content warning: This resource includes references to violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, sexual violence, other forms of gender-based violence and miscarriage.
So where does each party stand on the issues that matter most to young women and girls?
1. Protection and promotion of young women’s human rights
Young Women Demand that all Scottish parties standing in the 2026 election publicly commit to introducing a Human Rights Bill for Scotland, ensuring young women’s human rights are firmly on the political agenda.
Reform UK
Do not mention human rights in their manifesto.
Scottish Conservatives
Do not mention human rights in their manifesto.
They say that they would “ban roles in the public sector devoted exclusively to advancing diversity, equality and inclusion.”
Scottish Greens
Say they will introduce a Human Rights Bill that recognises “economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to housing, healthcare, creative opportunities, social security, freedom of religion, education and food.”
This proposed law would include specific protections for women, alongside young people, disabled people, older people, faith groups, migrants, gypsy, roma and traveller communities and LGBT+ people. It would mean that the Scottish Government and public bodies (such as local councils and the NHS) would have clear duties to act in ways that advance human rights and if they don’t, there would be a clear mechanism to challenge this.
Scottish Labour
No mention of a specific Human Rights Bill in their manifesto.
What do Labour say about human rights?
They will “boost the work of the Scottish Human Rights Commission” (an independent public body that promotes awareness, understanding and respect for human rights, and has powers to recommend changes to law, policy and practice and conduct inquiries).
Scottish Liberal Democrats
No mention of a specific Human Rights Bill in their manifesto.
What do the Liberal Democrats say about human rights?
They will “Champion human rights legislation and resist any attempts to weaken or repeal it.”
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Say that they will introduce the Human Rights Bill in the next parliament, stating that “At a time when marginalised communities are under attack, the SNP will always defend all human rights.”
2. Prevention and elimination of violence against young women and girls (VAWG)
Young Women Demand that all Scottish political parties commit to providing consistent, regular and reliable funding and investment into the women’s and youth sector to address discrimination and violence against young women and girls.
Reform UK
Do not mention the prevention of violence against young women and girls in their manifesto.
Scottish Conservatives
No new commitment to providing funding and investment into the women’s and youth sector, as a way of addressing discrimination and violence against young women and girls.
What do the Conservatives say about VAWG?
They want to see perpetrators of violence against women and girls “punished more harshly” and introduce a domestic abuse register, which would be similar to the sex offenders register.
They also mention that they want to:
- “Improve information sharing across justice agencies to prevent situations where an abusive partner is bailed to their partner’s home rather than remanded in custody”
Further details
Continued:
- Introduce “Claire’s law” which would place restrictions on repeat offenders being granted bail
- “Consult on introducing a law to tackle non-fatal strangulation”.
They also say that they want to “raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 to protect girls from potential abuse.”
Scottish Greens
Say they will “Introduce a Misogyny and Criminal Justice Bill, to tackle misogynistic harassment, incitement and abuse, including online”.
They say that “Recognising misogyny in Scots law, and funding violence prevention services in local councils, schools and community organisations, will help us end violence against women and girls for good.”
They also say that they will “Expand access to legal aid and advice, independent advocacy and legal representation for survivors of rape, domestic abuse, trafficking, child abuse, and violent crimes”, and “Ensure long-term, inflation-proof funding for rape crisis centres, women’s refuges, BME-led services, LGBT+ survivor support and disabled women’s organisations, ensuring that independent legal advice, advocacy and representation are available to those who need them.”
Scottish Labour
Say they will “Continue funding for Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid ensuring resources are delivered to local services which support victims”.They also want to establish a “Misogyny Reduction Unit, based within Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit and treating violence against women and girls as an issue of public health with research and evidence-based interventions”.
They also propose “tightening bail laws so those with a history of domestic abuse and violence cannot be bailed to their current or previous partner’s address.”
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Say they will “Confront violence against women and girls and domestic abuse, making changes to the law that will give survivors greater choice and agency.”
This includes commitments to:
- “Commencing Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act to Introduce protection notices and protection orders that enable urgent action not led by the person at risk.”
- “Bringing in separate offences targeting prejudice and contempt for women” as a hate crime.
- “Establish a single point of contact within a local authority, ensuring victims only have to tell their story once”
Further details
Continued:
- “Ensure all housing and frontline staff are trained to detect and respond to domestic abuse and survivors of domestic abuse, with particular measures to assist young survivors who may have complex needs.”
- “Protecting the ‘fund to leave’ (a fund that helps people escape abusive relationships by covering practical costs like emergency accommodation or travel) and ensure it takes into consideration circumstances such as whether a victim is located in a remote or rural area.”
- “Updating the law to add a presumption that the perpetrator of domestic abuse will be the one required to leave the shared home.”
- “Identify any gaps in legislation that could enable a perpetrator of domestic abuse to exert control over a survivor by acting vexatiously in court proceedings.” (This means using legal proceedings repeatedly as a way of continuing to control or harass a survivor after separation)
- “Implementing the Istanbul Convention* on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic abuse, with protections for all survivors regardless of nationality or immigration status.”
- “Implementing the provisions in the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2020, including new protection orders.” (Scotland has already passed this law but not all of its provisions have been fully implemented yet.)
*The Istanbul Convention is an international agreement specifically designed to prevent and tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms, including domestic abuse, rape, female genital mutilation, and so-called honour-based violence. It sets out a comprehensive, survivor-focused approach, requiring governments to ensure adequate funding for women’s services, take meaningful steps to prevent violence, and ensure that survivors are supported through the justice system. Crucially, it was designed by women – experts in law, trauma, therapy and justice, for women, with women’s safety and rights at its centre.
The UK signed and ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2022, meaning it made a formal commitment to uphold it. However, it has not yet been fully implemented in Scotland, meaning that many of its protections are not yet in force in practice.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Say they will “bring forward Misogyny Bill legislate to ensure harassment and abuse based on misogyny is outlawed in Scotland.”
They also want to make the Fund to Leave scheme “permanent and universal, extending to those with no recourse to public funds, guaranteeing support for women and children to leave an abusive partner.”
Also relevant to women’s safety, they want to “Create a ‘Safer Nights Design Champion’ to help improve how areas can have improved lighting, enhanced passive surveillance, and safe spaces – particularly near transport hubs.”
3. Addressing online violence against young women and girls
Young Women Demand that Scottish political parties commit to tackling the daily threat of tech-facilitated gender-based violence and the dangers it poses to young women and girls across Scotland. This includes meaningfully working with the UK government to ensure tech companies who fail to appropriately manage misogyny, sexism and gender-based violence are held accountable.
Reform UK
Do not mention addressing online violence in their manifesto.
Scottish Conservatives
Do not mention addressing online violence in their manifesto.
Scottish Greens
As mentioned above, they plan to “Introduce a Misogyny and Criminal Justice Bill to tackle misogynistic harassment, incitement and abuse, including online.”
They also say they will “Devolve powers to regulate AI technologies to Holyrood” and want to “Ensure that new media platforms, such as social and online media, are held to minimum standards to tackle extremist and conspiracy content, and force more effective moderation by classifying them as publishers for the purposes of defamation law.”
Scottish Labour
Say they will “Close legal loopholes around sexual deepfakes, ensuring the law criminalises the non-consensual creation of images, as well as the sharing of them.”
On social media: They also say they would “back a UK-wide ban on social media for under-16s to better protect young people from cyberbullying and harmful online content.”
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Do not mention addressing online gender-based violence in their manifesto.
On social media: They say they will “protect children online through film-style age ratings for social media platforms, restricting those that use addictive algorithmic feeds to users over 16 and rating 18+ those that host extreme content” as well as “properly taxing the social media giants who cause so much of the problem.”
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Say they will “ban using technology to create and possess deepfake intimate images”.
They also say that “Ofcom needs to use its powers to hold tech companies and social media providers to account. Central to this would be to tackle this issue as a public health matter. This recognises that there is a spectrum of harm that can be caused from the absorption of hateful and harmful content, through to self-harm and grooming.”
On social media: They say “It is clear that Westminster (UK Government) needs to do more to protect children, including potentially banning social media for under 16s.”
4. Tackling misogynistic and sexist views, attitudes and behaviours amongst young men
Young Women Demand that all Scottish political parties commit to tackling the rise of misogyny in Scotland. This includes introducing greater interventions to educate young men and boys on the dangers of prescribing to misogynistic rhetoric, both in person and online.
Reform UK
Do not mention tackling misogyny in their manifesto.
Scottish Conservatives
Do not mention tackling misogyny in their manifesto.
Scottish Greens
As mentioned above, they plan to “Introduce a Misogyny and Criminal Justice Bill, to tackle misogynistic harassment, incitement and abuse, including online”.
They say that “Recognising misogyny in Scots law, and funding violence prevention services in local councils, schools and community organisations, will help us end violence against women and girls for good.”
They also say they will “Deliver high quality Personal and Social Education, guaranteeing a curriculum which covers topics such as consent based sex education, LGBT+ inclusivity, mental health, and personal finances, co-designed by young people.”
Scottish Labour
Say “Misogynistic attitudes and violence are also on the rise, often fuelled by online discourse that is targeted at young men”.
As mentioned above, they want to establish a “Misogyny Reduction Unit, based within Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit and treating violence against women and girls as an issue of public health with research and evidence-based interventions”.
They also mention “Boosting uptake of the Equally Safe Programme in schools, with a graded participation award so that young people and parents can see the work that schools are doing to counter the impact of online misogyny and abusive behaviour.”
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Do not mention tackling misogyny in their manifesto.
Although misogyny is mentioned as they say “Racism, transphobia and misogyny have the support of some of the most powerful people in the world. Toxic role models and social media barons have platforms for bullying, hatred and scapegoating. Victims can be left feeling vulnerable and powerless.”
Scottish National Party (SNP)
As mentioned above, they plan to “bring forward Misogyny Bill legislate to ensure harassment and abuse based on misogyny is outlawed in Scotland.”
They say they will “fund a public health campaign to make young people and their parents aware of how to use social media, screen time, and online time in both a safe and healthy manner and be aware of the harmful consequences and risks of both to mental health and sleep, body image, and the benefits of spending time with friends and family in real life. That will include supporting efforts to combat the rise of online actors who seek to influence men and boys with material filled with hatred, misogyny and violence.”
Further details
They also say they will “deliver a Social Media Levy, charging platforms that operate in Scotland a fee and invest those proceeds in programmes to support safer online engagement for young people, improving mental health and supporting education.”
5. Equitable healthcare access and outcomes for young women and girls
Young Women Demand that the next Scottish Government continue to prioritise the Women’s Health Plan as a key policy area, ensuring young women and girls can access adequate healthcare in their communities and that they receive respectful, unbiased treatment that responds to their needs.
Reform UK
Do not mention women’s healthcare or mental health in their manifesto.
Scottish Conservatives
Plan to launch a Women’s Health Charter to “guarantee equal treatment to women in our NHS”.
They also say that they want to:
- “Guarantee access to a female GP or women’s health specialist so that women feel comfortable going to their local practice about any health issues.”
- “Prevent any downgrading of maternity units and conduct an independent review into maternity services in Scotland.”
- “Expand access and provision to fertility and IVF services.”
- “Guarantee every woman access to a single-sex ward in hospital.”
Further details
Continued:
- “Deliver more reviews to better assess what hormone treatment therapy is available for women going through menopause.”
- “Guarantee that all health boards have access to specialist nurses and clinics to improve training and guidance for the detection of endometriosis.”
What do the conservatives say about mental healthcare?
They want to “roll out walk-in mental health hubs, modelled on the Nook mental health centre provided by Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).”
Scottish Greens
Say they want to “create an environment where women are believed when they say something is wrong.” and state that: “We need to invest in specialist services and programmes, so all women can access treatment when they need it.”
They say they will:
- “Support Community Midwife Services, including guaranteeing minimum 30 minute appointments with new and expectant parents.”
- “Bring down gynecological waiting lists by investing in services and producing a fully costed workforce plan for gynecology.”
- “Eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 by promoting uptake of the HPV vaccine and cervical screening, particularly in deprived areas and prisons.”
Further details
Continued:
- “Expand the midwife workforce by creating ‘earn-as-you-learn’ routes into midwifery and introduce minimum safe staffing levels on all maternity and labour wards.”
- “Support Community Midwife Services, including guaranteeing minimum 30 minute appointments with new and expectant parents.”
- “Invest in the Health Visitor programme, ensuring there is sufficient workforce so that all parents receive their regular check-ups on time.”
- “Commit to reviewing the safety of maternity services in Scotland, including an urgent review of safe staffing levels and practices on maternity wards.”
- “Introduce mandatory menopause education for public sector employers, and require that menopause symptoms qualify for leave from work.”
- “Ensure menopause treatment and support is well-funded and access to medicines such as HRT is secured.”
- “Develop enhanced support pathways for women with cardiovascular risk factors such as PCOS and pre-eclampsia, including through third-sector support.”
- “Decriminalise abortion and remove the ‘two doctor rule’ by bringing forward legislation that ensures there are no offences for anyone ending their own pregnancy.”
- “Expand abortion services in Scotland so patients are not required to travel to England, and retain the 12-week limit on telemedical abortion care, reducing the need for women to have to travel long distances in Scotland.”
What do the Greens say about mental healthcare?
They say that they “will create a society where mental wellbeing is promoted and people who experience mental illness can access treatment when they need it. We will create an environment which supports people to be mentally well by ensuring they have access to warm and secure housing, enough money to live on, and fulfilling employment; and by ensuring people with mental illness can access treatment and support. We will bring down waiting lists by investing in our existing mental health services, recruiting sufficient staff, while also expanding support in the community.”
They want to:
- “Provide adequate and sustainable funding to Integration Joint Boards to ensure community mental health provision can be prioritised and expanded over the next parliamentary term.”
- Integration joint boards are the bodies responsible for health and social care in local areas.
- “Introduce a network of free walk-in mental health support hubs across Scotland, building on the success of existing projects such as The Nook in Glasgow and Thrive in Edinburgh.”
- “Roll out dedicated Community Link Work Service to all CAMHS teams in Scotland.”
- CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
- “Increase funding for home-based treatment and inpatient care so no young person is sent far from home or placed in an adult ward due to lack of appropriate local services.”
- “Introduce mandatory autism and ADHD training for health and social care staff, teachers and other relevant education staff, and police and justice services.”
- “Integrate youth work with local and national mental health support and referral systems.”
Scottish Labour
Say that “Women’s health has long been overlooked and too frequently women are ignored or dismissed when they raise their concerns. It is time for this to change and for women’s health to be given the priority it deserves.”
They say they will:
- “Reverse the decision to downgrade Wishaw neonatal unit, pausing the plans to centralise specialist neonatal units across Scotland, and commissioning a new review of services.”
- “Deliver safe maternity services in every part of the country, with a national plan to drive improvements where services have fallen short and ensure that women can access quality maternity care no matter where they live.”
- “Guarantee support for new families, training and recruiting the health visitors needed to provide home visits between pre-birth and a child turning five.”
Further details
Continued:
- “Recommit the NHS to delivering single sex wards on the basis of biological sex, and ensuring patients can request same sex provision wherever possible.”
- “Tackle long waits for gynaecological procedures, improving speed of access to colposcopies, laparoscopies and hysterectomies, and diagnosing endometriosis faster.”
- “Provide menopause clinics in every health board region, so women can access the support, advice and medical interventions they need.”
- “Protect women’s reproductive rights, ensuring that they are able to access the full range of reproductive services, no matter where they live.”
What does Labour say about mental healthcare?
They propose:
- “A new emergency mental health response service, staffed by specially trained paramedics, nurses and mental health professionals so that people in mental health crisis get specialist NHS care, not merely a police response.”
- “A new national neurodevelopmental pathway so that neurodivergent people can get the right support instead of being stuck on inappropriate mental health waiting lists.”
- “Community mental health professionals in GP surgeries, so that patients can get immediate support rather than face long waits for specialist care as their only option.”
- “Improved access to self-referral pathways, by expanding the use of evidence-based digital therapies and exploring the scale up of community walk in services.”
- “Better support for children and young people on CAMHS waiting lists, with a dedicated Community Link Worker service in all CAMHS teams, to create wraparound support from the point of referral so kids don’t have to wait for the help they need.”
- “More NHS funding spent on mental health, so that it matches proportions spent elsewhere in the UK.”
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Say they will “Have a special focus on ending medical misogyny so women’s symptoms aren’t dismissed, prioritising research and training on conditions including endometriosis, the menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, hyperemesis, ectopic and molar pregnancies.
They say that they will “Treat abortion as a healthcare issue, and give MSPs the opportunity to vote on decriminalisation.” and also mention “Restoring consultant-led maternity services at Caithness General Hospital”.
What do the Lib Dems say about mental healthcare?
Say they will “Deliver the world class mental health services Scotland needs, training and recruiting more mental health specialists for community settings near you.”
Further details
They say they will do this by:
- “Incorporating counsellors into NHS workforce planning so their skills can help more people.”
- “Setting a new target for additional mental health professionals working alongside the police and prison staff.”
- “Provide new walk-in services to meet the needs of people in mental health distress or crisis, working alongside and learning from SAMH’s pioneering Nook network.”
- “Supporting businesses and public services that are losing hundreds of thousands of working days to mental ill health through the ramping up of training, so that every workplace can be offered the benefit of a mental health first aider.”
- “Creating new dedicated mental health beds for children and young people north of Dundee, addressing the scandal of long journeys for treatment and people being separated from their support networks.”
- “Abolishing so-called rejected referrals by integrating CAMHS into a new wider system of multi-disciplinary support, with safety nets and ladders so that families are never sent back to the start of the process of seeking help.”
- “Using the recent eating disorder framework to improve access to treatment and support.”
- “Transforming perinatal mental health support for those who are pregnant, new mothers and those who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth.”
- ‘Perinatal’ means during pregnancy and after birth.
- “Ensure teachers are trained in trauma-informed practice, suicide prevention and undertake mental health first aider training.”
- “Shortening mental health waiting times targets once they are consistently met because 18 weeks is too long to routinely wait for treatment to begin.”
- “Guaranteeing year-on-year real terms increases to the mental health budget to deliver our plan and increase spending on suicide prevention.”
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Say “We will prioritise Women’s Health, delivering a national review of maternity services, improving support offered to new mums, funding new research into menstrual health and urgently reviewingIVF.” and “We are committed to delivering the second phase of our Women’s Health plan, including increasing the uptake of screening for cervical cancer, launching a national campaign and piloting the use of self-sampling kits to use at home.”
On abortion, they say: “We do not support the restriction of existing abortion legislation as abortion is a legal right, and we will protect that right. We will take forward a consultation on the recommendations of the Abortion Law review, including on decriminalisation within the specified term limits.”
Further details
They also say they will:
- “Commission an Independent report into maternal mortality faced by Scotland’s Black and Asian communities to investigate any possible systemic biases and barriers to treatment contributing to the increased risk of maternal mortality faced by them.”
- “Improve the provision of miscarriage care” and “ensure that all maternity hospitals have discreet, dedicated spaces for women and families in the event of pregnancy complications. We will also ensure access to progesterone prescriptions for women who suffer a miscarriage, and deliver a graded model of miscarriage care backed by a Patient Charter for Miscarriage by 2027, developed jointly with baby loss charities.”
- “Implement the National Plan for Gynaecology, backed by £13 million of investment to reduce waits.”
“Recognise endometriosis as a chronic, long-term condition to ensure women get the support they need as early as possible.”
What do the SNP say about mental healthcare?
They say they will: “Expand 24/7 mental health support, rolling out Mental Health Triage Cars across the country to reduce pressures on police and we’ll support the delivery of five new drop-in mental health hubs through SAMH’s Nook network”
They will also “continue to invest up to £20 million a year to ensure pupils in every school in Scotland have access to school counselling… and expand support for more 1:1 counselling” and they say that “Our new Crisis Framework for Children and Young People, and Crisis Intervention Fund will also develop emergency mental health responses.”
They also say they will “Seek to expand perinatal mental health services.”
6. Equal opportunities for young women and girls to get involved in politics, democracy and decision-making processes
Young Women Demand that all Scottish political parties commit to meeting young women and girls, where they are at and on their level, during and after the election campaign, ensuring that their voices and experiences are not only listened to and valued but that they inform policy decisions and shape Scotland’s future.
Reform UK
Do not mention young women’s political participation, equal representation or strengthening democratic engagement.
Scottish Conservatives
Do not mention young women’s political participation, equal representation or strengthening democratic engagement.
Scottish Greens
Do not specifically address young women’s political participation, although they do say “We must take every opportunity to reform how our Parliament works so that it can truly represent the people of Scotland in a fair, equitable and inclusive way.”
They also want to:
- “Produce new standards for community engagement across public bodies so that more people have their voices heard.”
- “Automate voter registration to reduce barriers to voting, starting in schools, colleges and universities.”
- “Reduce barriers to elected office.”
- “Strengthen grassroots democracy, supporting new forms of citizen participation and decision making, including giving the power for communities to decide how money is spent in their area through more participatory budgeting.”
Scottish Labour
Do not mention young women’s political participation, equal representation or strengthening democratic engagement.
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Do not specifically address young women’s political participation, although they do say they will “Give young people a bigger role in shaping policies affecting them through the Youth Parliament”.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Do not mention young women’s political participation, equal representation or strengthening democratic engagement.
What else do the parties say in their manifestos?
The BBC have created a summary of each party’s top priorities and provide information on what they say on key issues, such as the cost of living, the economy, the NHS, immigration, democracy, housing, justice, education, the environment, defence & transport.
The Equality Network has created a summary of each party’s stance on LGBTQIA+ issues.
The party manifestos in full
- Reform UK
- Scottish Conservatives
- Scottish Greens
- Scottish Labour
- Scottish Liberal Democrat
- Scottish National Party (SNP)
Young Women Demand is a bold, young women-led campaign designed to strengthen democratic participation, political literacy and leadership among young women ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May 2026 and beyond.