Statues of pioneering women in Glasgow draped with sashes ahead of International Women's Day

Statues of pioneering women have been draped with sashes ahead of International Women's Day.

Members of the First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) staged the stunt to highlight the lack of statues commemorating women and their achievements.

Of the 828 statues recorded across the UK, the group said only about one in five - 174 - depict women.

Just 80 of the statues are of named women, it added.

The group has put sashes bearing the message #GenerationEqual on 14 statues in nine cities, towns and villages in Scotland.

These include a statue of philanthropist Isabella Elder in Glasgow, one of social activist Helen Crummy in Edinburgh, and the "Fisher Jessie'' statue in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, which celebrates the lives of women in the fishing community.

Also adorned with a sash is the Land Girls sculpture in Fochabers, Moray, which honours the work of the Women's Land Army.

The action was taken in partnership with local authorities, councillors and site owners.

NACWG co-chair Louise Macdonald said: "For generations, our history has been written by one gender. One perspective, one vision, one half of the population. Half of our history is missing.

"We want to highlight this huge inequality by showcasing some of the statues that do exist and call for better recognition of the women who have made a lasting impact through their bravery, intelligence and actions.

"Women are not niche; we are half the world and 52% of the population in Scotland.

"We want to encourage conversation around societal change, challenge this under-representation and make women's contributions to society more visible - especially those facing multiple discrimination - in politics, in sport, on boards, and even in the street.

"With so many inspiring accomplishments all too often overlooked, it's time we paid homage to these amazing women making a difference in today's society.

"We hope this activity inspires people of all age, race, gender, religion and belief to join the conversation.''

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