The Scottish Parliament has removed the male and female gender categories from its website’s MSP search function following the election of its first two transgender Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The change affects how the public can view elected representatives by gender as the parliament updates its systems amid ongoing inclusion reviews.
Gender Filter Removed
Until recently, the official parliament website allowed users to filter MSPs by gender, listing ‘male’ or ‘female’ MSPs separately. This week, the option was removed entirely after briefly including a non-binary category for Green MSP Q Manivannan and listing transwoman Iris Duane under female MSPs.
Concerns Over Female Visibility
Susan Smith, Director of For Women Scotland, criticised the removal, saying: “The option to search for female MSPs vanished overnight, and along with it, the record of women’s current and historical representation in parliament.” She called for women’s representation to be made visible again, given that women make up 51% of Scotland’s population.
Experts Warn Of Data Obscurity
Dr Kath Murray from policy group Murray Blackburn Mackenzie warned the change “obscures” female representation and questioned the rationale for removing published sex data on MSPs. She highlighted the importance of this data under the Equality Act and previous parliamentary reviews like the Sullivan Review.
Women’s Representation Declines
The Scottish Parliament has never reached gender parity, with women MPs dropping from 45% to 42.6% after the latest election—55 women compared to 74 men returned. Efforts such as the former Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone’s gender sensitivity review aimed to improve women’s speaking time and representation in parliamentary bodies but faced limited acceptance.
Parliaments Response
A Holyrood spokesperson explained the website filter was a legacy system being removed as part of the ongoing Inclusive Parliament Review (IPR), which is assessing systems and policies. They said the review will determine what personal data on MSPs is needed publicly and how it should be presented. However, the IPR has yet to indicate any requirement for website format changes.
