Conferences
These activities tend to focus on a particular policy area – employment, health, education etc. Speakers are invited to address the audience, with women being given an opportunity to ask questions and speak about their own experiences of the subject being discussed.
Following each discussion a report is produced. This document, which uses direct quotes from the women attending, is sent to politicians as well as those with responsibility for the key policy areas discussed. Copies are also sent to those who attended the event. Feedback records the sense of empowerment felt by women and their call for change in local and national decisions which affect women’s daily lives.
If you have any experiences or feedback on our conferences, please complete our feedback form.
The Impact of Drugs on Women and Families in Scotland
On Saturday 2nd of September 2023 we held a conference to understand the impact of drugs on women and families in Scotland. During the event we heard from a range of speakers, who provided their expertise on the drug landscape in Scotland, followed by a Q&A. To finish the event we had roundtable discussion, to give women an opportunity to contribute their views and lived experiences. We want to ensure that this lived experience is included in the development of future policy, as well as maintaining women’s voices within drug prevention strategies.
You can access our report here.
A Misogyny Law for Scotland: What are Women’s Views?
On Friday 12th of May 2023 we hosted a conference to gain the views of women in Scotland, on the proposed Misogyny Law. We heard from a panel of speakers who provided their expertise on misogyny law and/or how misogyny has impacted them. This conference was part of a wider project where we held numerous round table discussions in person and online as well as an online survey.
You can access our Misogyny in Scotland report here.
Women's Housing Priorities in Scotland.
On Saturday 4th February, The Scottish Women's Convention held a conference on Women's Housing Priorities in Scotland. During the conference multiple topics came up: housing stock, private rentals, affordability, and Housing to 2040.
You can access the conference report from here.
Has Brexit had an impact on Women in Scotland?
On Saturday 8th of October 2022, The Scottish Women's Convention held a hybrid conference which over 70 women attended online and in person. We heard from a panel of speakers who had experience and expertise in a range of sectors, to understand the direct impact of Brexit on Scottish women, and how it may impact our futures.
You can access the conference report from here.
Violence Against Women and Girls
On Saturday the 14th of May 2022, The Scottish Women’s Convention held a hybrid conference which over 140 women attended online and in person. This conference was part of a wider project where we held 5 roundtable events in the community and online which discussed the subject of Violence Against Women & Girls.
You can access the Violence Against Women and Girl's Conference report from here.
Women's Health
On Saturday 29th January 2022 we held a Women's Health conference to highlight the issue of women’s health, to look at the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan, and to discuss what is to be done to improve the health of women in Scotland. The plan was introduced in August 2021 and, as a nation, we are the first country in the UK to have a women’s health plan.
You can access the Women's Health Report from here.
Refugee and Migrant Women
You can access the Refugee and Migrant Women Report from here.
Women and Climate
You can access the Climate Chat Report from here.
Following the chats we then hosted a Zoom conference following these chats on Wednesday, 6th of October 2021 from 6-8PM.
You can access the Climate Conference Report from here.
Bullying and Harassment
The Scottish Women’s Convention recently hosted a Zoom conference on women's experiences with Bullying & Harassment on Wednesday, 9th of June 2021 from 6-8PM.
The aim was to gather voices of women to shape the way policy is approached by decision makers. We covered the unique experiences of women throughout Scotland, how they have been impacted and what needs to be done to prevent bullying and harassment.
Women in Scotland during Covid
The Scottish Women's Convention hosted a Zoom Conference on women's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, 30th March 2021, from 6-8pm.
Event attendees heard from women who contributed to our successful International Women's Day Event earlier in the month, including frontline workers in the NHS and social care alongside equality and human rights activists.
You can access our Conference Report from the event here,
Women and Mental Health
Speakers for this event included Clare Haughey, SNP MSP for Rutherglen and Minister for Mental Health, Colette Mason, a Links Manager with Alliance Scotland, Mauve Grindall, from See Me Scotland, and Siobhan McCready from Unite the Union.
Given the significant contributions from women to these events, we have created a specific space on our site to highlight our work as well as a number of key resources and organisations. Click here to access!
Women and Social Care in Scotland
The SWC has undertaken a series of work regarding Social Care and the impact on women in Scotland.
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Women’s Convention gathered first-hand evidence and information regarding women’s experiences of the Social Care sector. Digital roundtables, online surveys, email submissions and phone interviews were conducted in order to gather a range of information.
We held our first online Conferences on this focus area, with two dates across September and October 2020. These events brought attendees and speakers together to discuss some of the most pressing issues. We wanted to cover everything from experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to what we need to do in future to make social care work for everyone in Scotland.
Access our work in this area here
Do Women in Scotland want another Independence Referendum?
The SWC held a Conference around the topic "Do Women in Scotland want another Referendum?" to discuss with women whether or not another vote should take place. The focus given to this topic ensured women were given a platform for their lived experiences, voices and opinions to come to a fully informed decision that empowers them. All sides of the debate came together to ensure a uniquely women-centered perspective on whether or not another Scottish Independence Referendum should take place.
Prior to this, the SWC also collated responses from an online survey around the topic to ensure women who could not make the Conference still had their voices heard. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to take part in both the Event and the Survey.
Click here to view the Conference Report
Click here to view the Survey Overview
What Does Poverty Look Like?
Poverty shows no signs of going away. The SWC arranged this body of work to champion women’s experiences and highlight just how big a challenge our society is facing. Ongoing austerity and cuts to our vital public services have led to an inequality we should not be seeing and having to fight in this day and age. Women are desperate and are living in dire conditions because they cannot access what should be a basic fundamental right.
The Scottish Women’s Convention compiled this report using women’s lived experiences. We obtained these from our Conference, roundtables and facilitated discussions. We also used information previously recorded from our roadshows.
Click here to view the Report from this Conference.
Women and the Justice System
The SWC held a Conference in October, 2019, in order to gauge real women's experiences of navigating the justice system. Attendees heard from a number of different speakers who played a part in helping women access justice. They were also given the opportunity to participate in a Question and Answer Session and share their own experiences.
During the Conference, a number of women spoke of their experiences with the justice system in Scotland. For a few, this was the first time they had spoken about their experiences in public. The SWC thanks these women for their bravery in speaking out.
Click here to view the Report from this Conference
Women's Experiences of Menopause
The SWC, in our thematic body of work on health last summer, uncovered a wealth of evidence from women like relating to the menopause. As a result, we created a survey to further explore the issues raised, so that we can have as broad an understanding of women's experiences as possible.
The results from the survey can be accessed here. We would like to thank all of the women who took the time to share their story with us.
The organisation held a conference on Saturday 2nd February, where attendees heard from women with direct experience of menopause and how this has impacted on their personal and working lives. Discussions allowed women to share experiences, as well as discuss priorities around what needs to be done for women to bring about meaningful change and equality.
Click here to view the Report from this Conference.
Housing and Homelessness
The SWC undertook a programme of work on issues around housing and homelessness from Autumn 2018 until Summer 2019.
A conference was held in October to launch this work. Attendees heard from a range of speakers, with experience of issues around housing and homelessness for women. They were also given the opportunity to participate in a Question and Answer session.
Click here to view the Report from this Conference.
In addition, the SWC held a further follow up event in July, 2019, to complement the work undertaken around women's issues with housing and homelessness.
The report from this event is available here.
We went on to hold roundtables with women throughout the country in order to ascertain their views, experiences and ideas for change on a range of topics relevant to housing and homelessness. We collaborated with a number of organisations undertaking significant work in this area. You can find out more about each below.
Roundtable Reports on Women's Homelessness:
Women Asylum Seeker Housing Project - December 2018
Simon Community Scotland - December 2018
Community Links Govan - March 2019
Shakti Women's Aid - May 2019
Women's Health in Scotland
During 2018 the SWC undertook a programme of work to compile a comprehensive overview of women’s health in Scotland, including a range of issues such as breast screening, cancer detection, treatment and support; cervical screening, cancer detection, treatment and support; transvaginal mesh implants, thyroid problems and mental health, as well as any other pressing areas of concern raised by women.
Online Survey - An online survey gathered as much information from women of various backgrounds, ages and from diverse geographical areas in order to inform our work.
Roundtables - Roundtable discussions on the key women’s health themes outlined above allowed us to further explore the issues around women's health.
Health Conference - A conference was held at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, Byres Road, on Saturday 21st July, which also provided the opportunity for further discussions around key topics. A report from the event has been published and the SWC would encourage women to use the information contained within this document to press for the changes that you want to see – sharing our findings with friends, family and your communities.
Other Resources
The SWC has also produced -
- Advice and Information Leaflet
- Recommendations by Women for Women
- Women's Heath: Contributing Factors
The presentations by those speaking at the event -
Sexual Harassment Conference
The Scottish Women’s Convention (SWC) held an event at the Hilton Grosvenor on Saturday, 20th January focusing specifically on the subject of sexual harassment. Whilst the SWC has continuously heard from women across Scotland upon this subject, given the unfaltering flow of allegations that have come to light from across the globe, the need for an event of this nature was apparent.
In holding this conference, the SWC wanted to identify key priorities for change directly from grassroots women who have knowledge and experience of the issue. As well as this, bringing together women from many different backgrounds to share stories and engage collectively is extremely important in conquering this endemic which has gone unchallenged within society for far too long. The SWC would like to thank all the speakers and women who came forth on the day to take part in such a significant event.
Click here to view the Report from this Conference.
Archived Reports
We are proud to have held many conferences since our founding. These have covered a wide variety of issues, from Human Trafficking, Violence Against Women and Sectarianism, to Social Security, the EU Referendum and Employment.
Through this work, we have developed a wealth of knowledge from women across Scotland sharing their lived experiences. This has provided guidance and evidence for our Consultation responses and other interactions with decision-makers.
Read our Archived Conference Reports here.
In this section
Related publications
Sexual Harassment Conference Report
The Scottish Women’s Convention (SWC) held an event at the Hilton Grosvenor on Saturday, 20th January focussing specifically on the subject of sexual harassment.
SWC EU Referendum Event
The report from the SWC EU Referendum Event, held in the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, Glasgow on Saturday 28th May 2016.
