Nicola Sturgeon Set For Woman List Debate

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has voiced support for system-wide approaches'' to tackle the problem of the under-representation of women in politics and wider society, as her party prepares to debate the issue of women-only shortlists. Plans to return more female MSPs by creating a number of all-women shortlists for the selection of candidates in the 2016 Holyrood elections will be discussed at the SNP's spring conference in Glasgow next weekend. The leadership's proposals are expected to face attempts by some activists to block the move. Ms Sturgeon today said she believes100%'' that people should be selected for posts on merit, but that measures should be looked at to address the factors in society which are holding women back''. Speaking on Scotland's Talk-In on Clyde 2, the First Minister was asked if all-women shortlists are the best way to go. She said:We're debating it at our party conference next weekend. I do think we have to look at the systems we've got in place, not just in politics but across society. People say to me, 'I don't want quotas, I don't want all women shortlists because I believe people should get on on merit'. I absolutely 100% believe in that, I think people should get on on merit.The problem is that's not what happens very often just now. If we had a system that was purely based on merit, we'd have gender balance because women are 52% of the population, and unless you think that women are somehow less capable, then if we had a merit-based system we wouldn't have these problems of under-representation of women. So there's something else at work that is stopping women, holding women back, acting as barriers to women getting on.I do think we need to look at system-wide approaches to deal with that so that we can one day get to a position where all of these decisions are entirely based on merit.'' Looking ahead to the SNP's conference debate, she added: I have been on the wrong side of my party's decisions on these issues in the past and the SNP is a democracy, a much bigger democracy these days than it has been in years gone by.I look forward to the debate and I'm pretty sure the SNP will come to the right decisions.'' Gender equality is a key issue for the First Minister. Her own cabinet has a 50:50 balance of men and women, and she has challenged organisations in the public, private and voluntary sector to ensure 50% of their board members are female by 2020.