A More Gender-Equal Scotland? Childcare Policy in Scotland after the Independence Referendum

• Main Authors: McAngus, Craig, Rummery, Kirstein
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Edinburgh University Press 2017
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474416429.003.0005

The independence referendum campaign provided opportunity to focus on and debate a number of policy areas that may have been strongly affected by Scottish independence. One of these policy areas was childcare, with the Scottish Government’s white paper stating the importance childcare provision for the future economic growth of an independent Scotland. Despite the resulting No vote in the referendum, childcare remains a salient policy issue in Scotland. This chapter looks at the role childcare plays in promoting gender equality. Firstly, it looks at what sort of childcare systems promote gender equality and their link to family policy, drawing upon examples from places like Sweden, Iceland and Quebec. Secondly, it looks at the options that the Scottish Government has in the context of further devolution.