HOSTILITY has “absolutely and totally undermined” female politicians, and fuelled an exodus from Holyrood at next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections, First Minister John Swinney has warned.

Mr Swinney made the remarks after a string of announcements from some of his party’s most prominent women that they intended to stand down next May, including former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Finance Secretary Shona Robison, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. 

Speaking after Wednesday's summit on tackling the far right in Scotland, the First Minister noted that “the challenges” of balancing life with work as an elected politician may have prompted some to make the decision to step down.

But he added: “I think there are some people who are absolutely and totally undermined by the level of hostility they have got to endure in public life.”

Mr Swinney stressed these issues will “not be unique” to the SNP, a point confirmed by Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater, who argued women face much greater scrutiny than their male colleagues “for things that are irrelevant to how we do our jobs — how we look, what we wear.”

She said: “It is very hard to look a talented woman in the face and say ‘you should come and do this job.’

“We have had politicians murdered in the UK in the last few years.

“I am asking women who stand for election to put their lives at risk, and that is a scary thing to do, so yes, it is a scary thing to be a woman politician.”

Calling out what she termed the “worsening negativity” towards women in public life over recent years, Scottish Trade Union Congress general secretary Roz Foyer said: “I am not a politician — but I am a woman in a public position in Scotland and I have certainly seen a negativity that has not been witnessed before in the last few years.

“That does affect our democracy, it affects getting women who are prepared to come forward and put themselves and their families through that sort of experience.

“It is not pleasant when people seem to object to your right to say something as a starting point because you are a woman, never mind what you say.

“I think that is a real issue in our society we have to call out.”