Access to networks, mentorship and informal support plays a crucial role in shaping who can enter and progress in politics. These opportunities are often unevenly distributed. In this context, the importance of internal group networks, coaching and mentorship opportunities should be prioritised. These groups should exist within parties and for parliamentary staff.

This commitment focuses on building and resourcing structured pathways to ensure underrepresented groups have equal access to support, knowledge and opportunities in the Scottish Parliament.

Additionally, efforts to recruit more diverse staff in the parliamentary environment and candidates within political parties should guide the commitments laid out in this section.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Abuse, bullying and harassment remain significant barriers to participation in political life, particularly for women and marginalised groups. These behaviours are often normalised or inadequately addressed, creating environments where individuals feel unsafe, unsupported, and unable to fully participate in political processes.

This commitment focuses on creating a safe political environment through clear standards, robust reporting and support systems, and a consistently enforced zero-tolerance approach. It aims to ensure that harmful behaviour is actively prevented and addressed, and that all those participating in political life are protected and supported.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Creating inclusive political environments requires more than one-off interventions; it demands continuous learning, reflection and accountability across all levels. Too often, equality and inclusion training is inconsistent, treated as optional, or disconnected from day-to-day practice. This limits its impact and fails to drive meaningful cultural change within political institutions.

This commitment focuses on embedding high-quality equality and inclusion training into ongoing systems of working. By making training continuous, practical and integral to professional development, it aims to ensure that inclusive behaviours and understanding are sustained and consistently applied across political life.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Women’s representation in the Scottish Parliament reached an all-time high in May 2021, when 45% of MSPs returned, were women. These record results were not achieved by chance, but in part due to the widespread adoption of different gender quota systems during candidate selection by most major parties (i.e. quotas, all-women shortlists, twinning or zipping).

Achieving equal representation requires sustained and deliberate action. Without consistent use of positive action measures, progress remains uneven and at risk of reversal. This commitment focuses on embedding long-term, intersectional approaches to positive action measures to ensure progress is maintained across election cycles.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Selection processes often don’t work for women and other underrepresented groups. Our research has shown that many feel that decision-making around candidate approval and selection lacks transparency. Women can face gendered scrutiny based on stereotypes, sexist norms and double standards. Candidate selection processes play a critical role in shaping who enters politics, yet they often lack transparency and consistency.

This commitment focuses on ensuring that selection processes are fair, transparent, standardised and accessible to all.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Efforts to improve women’s representation in politics can only be sustainable and worthwhile if we have data to support our commitments. Enacting Section 106 of the Equality Act (2010) would require political parties to publish candidate diversity data to increase transparency and accountability by law. Currently this section of the Act is not in force and can only be enacted by the UK Government. Political parties, however, could also choose to do this voluntarily as best practice before the legal obligation is introduced.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Commitments alone are not enough to deliver lasting change; progress depends on action, clear accountability, strong leadership, and enforceable standards. Too often, expectations are unclear, inconsistently applied, or lack meaningful consequences, weakening trust in political institutions and limiting the impact of equality efforts.

This theme focuses on embedding accountability by strengthening standards, clarifying responsibilities, and ensuring that commitments are backed by meaningful consequences. It aims to create a culture in which responsibility is shared across all levels and where values are consistently upheld in practice.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Public trust in political institutions is shaped by how inclusive, transparent and accessible they are in practice. Systemic barriers to participation, unequal experiences within political spaces, and challenges in retaining diverse representatives continue to undermine confidence and limit who can engage in political life.

This commitment focuses on addressing these structural barriers and creating the conditions for more inclusive and transparent political systems. By improving participation, strengthening retention, and enabling more meaningful engagement with the public, it aims to build a more representative and trusted political environment over the long term.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Lasting impact will only be achieved if the Charter’s commitments are effectively and consistently implemented beyond the point of sign-up. Without a clear approach to monitoring delivery over the course of the parliamentary term, there is a risk that actions agreed at the outset will not be followed through in practice.

This theme focuses on ensuring that the full range of commitments set out across the Charter are actively tracked, reviewed and implemented. It is important to maintain the momentum created by signing it and embed the Charter into day-to-day practices as a live framework that continues to shape behaviour and decision-making, and ensure accountability.

Regular monitoring of the Charter’s commitments will support transparency, highlight areas where further action is necessary, and ensure that progress is sustained across the full parliamentary period.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include:

Equal representation cannot be achieved without recognising that disabled people face distinct and systemic barriers to participating in political and public life. While this Charter sets out broad commitments to improving representation for all marginalised populations, there is a need for a more specific framework that addresses the specific change required to make politics genuinely accessible for disabled people.

This commitment focuses on recognising the importance of Inclusion Scotland’s ‘Access to Politics Charter’ as a complementary framework that sets out practical and technical actions for involving disabled people more meaningfully in political spaces.

The principles of the ‘Access to Politics Charter’ provide a practical framework for shifting disability inclusion from aspirational to possible, ensuring barriers to participation for disabled people are addressed in a structured and sustained way throughout the parliamentary term.

By signing up to the Equal Representation Charter we commit to the 10 asks as outlined at the start of this document. More specific, comprehensive and complementary actions could include: