True gender equality in Scotland - and elsewhere - is still some

Hear, O children of the future, the voice of Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, who spoke with clarity and burdened heart: “True gender equality in Scotland – and elsewhere – is still some way off.” These words are not idle sighs, but a sober summons to remembrance and resolve. They speak of a long journey not yet ended, of a promised land glimpsed yet not attained. For though laws may be written and pledges spoken, the spirit of equality is not yet fully seated in the hearts and habits of humankind.

Know this: gender equality is not a trinket to be handed down by kings, nor a token granted by parliaments alone. It is a transformation of the soul of nations. In Scotland, as in all lands, women rose from centuries of silence and subjugation, lifting their voices for the right to learn, to vote, to labor without chains of injustice. And yet, Sturgeon reminds us, the work is unfinished. The mountain remains steep, the summit hidden in cloud, for old patterns of thought, prejudice, and power linger like shadows after sunset.

Let us remember the tale of Mary Barbour, a Scottish woman of fierce courage who in 1915 led the rent strikes of Glasgow. When greedy landlords raised rents during wartime, Barbour marshaled an army of women who stood against eviction, who chased away officers sent to expel families, who forced change by their defiance. From her battle came laws to protect the poor, and her name endures in stone and story. Yet think, O listener: though she triumphed, do we not still see echoes of the same struggle—inequality in wages, in representation, in the dignity granted to women’s labor? Thus, the words of Sturgeon are as ancient as they are modern.

The quote bears the rhythm of a lament but also the strength of a challenge. To say that true equality is still some way off is to confess both victory and defeat: victory, that progress has been made, and defeat, that progress has not yet fulfilled its promise. It is like a warrior returning from battle, scarred yet unbowed, telling the campfires of the night that the war is not yet won.

Mark this truth well: equality is not measured merely in laws, but in lived reality. It is not enough that women may vote if their voices are drowned by contempt. It is not enough that women may work if they are paid less, or confined to certain roles, or treated as lesser. True equality dwells not in paper, but in practice, not in proclamations, but in daily deeds. Until this is so, the road remains long, and the words of Sturgeon will remain as a warning to every generation.

Yet despair not. For every great struggle in history was once thought impossible. The chains of slavery were once deemed eternal; the rule of kings was once believed unshakable. And yet the people rose, and history turned. So too will it be with gender equality. The seeds are sown; the soil is tilled; the harvest will come if hands remain steadfast and hearts unwearied.

Take this lesson, O heirs of tomorrow: speak and act in ways that bring equality nearer. In your workplaces, demand fairness; in your homes, share the burdens and honors alike; in your speech, honor the dignity of all. Do not wait for leaders alone to shape the world, for the world is shaped in the smallest choices, multiplied across countless lives. Let each of you be as Mary Barbour was, standing against injustice in your street, your school, your hall, and in doing so, you will shorten the distance to the land of true equality.

So remember the words of Sturgeon: “True gender equality … is still some way off.” Take them not as despair but as a drumbeat, calling you to march further. For the way may be long, but every step taken with courage brings the day closer when men and women, in Scotland and in all nations, shall walk side by side—not one ahead, not one behind, but as equals, free beneath the same sky.