A Second Open Letter to Kenny MacAskill

Dear Kenny MacAskill,

I have previously written to you for holding women to a higher standard than men, while simultaneously ignoring male bad behaviour, pointing out your obvious sexism. Your comments reported today about the rise in numbers of women in (our singular female) Scottish prison seem to hold the same sentiment. You are reported as saying:

It's quite shameful in Scotland. It goes across both genders but clearly it's exacerbated amongst the female population.

Now what exactly do you mean by shameful? If you are commenting on the fact women are disproportionately jailed for minor offences, then I agree, this is shameful. If you are commenting on the continued use of the prison system to solve what are underlying structural social problems, then I agree this is shameful. If you are once more holding women to a different standard to men by expecting them to behave better, then I disagree. If this is the case, it is your sexism that is shameful.

Yours sincerely,
Feminist Avatar.