Nicola Sturgeon, one of the front runners in the leadership contest for the Scottish National Party, has just announced she has withdrawn from the race. She's been persuaded by Alex Salmond who has announced his last minute decision to enter the race, to run as his deputy. That leaves just Roseanna Cunningham to take on the two male candidates and the odds on a woman emerging for the first time as leader of a Scottish party in September are diminishing.
Women are well represented in the Scottish parliament, making up almost 40% of MSPs compared to around 18% in Westminster so what difference has that made to the everyday lives of women in Scotland? How significant is Nicola Sturgeon's decision for other female politicians?
Sheila McClennon speaks to Margaret Curran the Scottish Minister for Communities and the Independent MSP Margo Macdonald.
