Redefining welfare in Scotland - with or without women?

The combination of the impact of welfare reform by the UK government and the opportunity for change presented by the debate on Scottish independence produced a profusion of alternative welfare proposals from scholars, formal political parties, the Scottish Government, and a range of think tanks and civil society organisations. These varied in their support for a social investment approach in a ‘new’ Scotland prior to the referendum vote and subsequently in the proposals submitted to the Smith Commission. The extent to which these proposals demonstrated considered gender analysis or specific objective to address economic and social constraints specifically experienced by women or arising from the constraints of gender relations varied even more. This paper offers an analysis of proposals from key policy documents prior to the Referendum and the proposals emerging throughout the post-Referendum process to ascertain the extent to which concerns for welfare alternatives reflect a shared political commitment to women’s economic and social wellbeing in a future Scotland.