Key Points
- Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine wants the UK Parliament and Scottish authorities to make misogyny a specific hate crime.
- Current hate crime laws in England, Wales, and Scotland protect race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity, but leave out sex and misogyny as statutory aggravating factors.
- Jardine previously co-sponsored cross-party amendments in Parliament requiring police forces to record offences driven by hostility towards women.
- The MP criticized political delays and the Scottish Government’s decision to scrap a standalone Misogyny Bill for broader hate crime measures.
- Supporters say treating misogyny as a hate crime will help tackle gender-based abuse and collect data on hostility against women in public and online spaces.
Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily) September 9, 2026 – As reported by parliamentary records and reported by media correspondents across Westminster and Scotland, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine has intensified calls for misogyny to be formally classified as a hate crime. Speaking during parliamentary debates, Jardine highlighted the growing necessity of giving women explicit legal protections against hostility, abuse, and harassment rooted in gender bias. Current legal frameworks do not automatically treat misogyny as an aggravating factor during sentencing, a gap that campaigners and politicians argue leaves women uniquely vulnerable.
Why Is Misogyny Not Currently Classified as a Hate Crime?
Under existing legislative provisions, five core protected characteristics are formally recognised within UK hate crime laws: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity. When a criminal offence is proven to be motivated by hostility toward any of these characteristics, courts can apply enhanced sentencing powers to reflect the aggravated nature of the crime.
However, gender and sex remain excluded from these central provisions. As reported by legal analysts and parliamentary briefings, while specific statutes cover domestic abuse and sexual offences, general crimes such as public harassment, assault, or online abuse do not trigger enhanced hate crime penalties simply because they were motivated by a hatred of women.
How Have Politicians and Campaigners Responded to the Legislative Gap?
Efforts to reform hate crime legislation have seen cross-party involvement over recent years. During parliamentary proceedings on the Domestic Abuse Bill, an amendment was tabled by Labour MP Stella Creasy, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, and Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts. The amendment sought to require all police forces to record offences that were motivated by hostility towards women.
As reported by parliamentary staff, the proposal received backing from key public figures and advocacy groups, including the Mayor of London, Refuge, Southall Black Sisters, and the Fawcett Society. Supporters argued that without comprehensive data collection by police forces, the full scale of gender-motivated hostility across the country remains hidden from policymakers.
In statement extracts recorded in Hansard, Jardine noted that tackling misogyny requires addressing the foundational attitudes that fuel broader violence against women and girls. She stressed that women across the country need clear reassurance from elected representatives that public life and digital platforms will be made safer.
In response to queries regarding government strategy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding Jess Phillips stated that identifying and rooting out the underlying causes of misogynistic behavior forms a fundamental part of national efforts to combat violence against women and girls.
Background of the Misogyny Legislation Debate
The campaign to make misogyny a hate crime gained momentum following high-profile reviews and pilot projects across the United Kingdom. Nottinghamshire Police became the first force in England to record misogyny as a hate crime in 2016, leading to increased reporting and public awareness.
In Scotland, an independent working group chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC published a groundbreaking review recommending specific statutory legislation to criminalise misogynistic harassment, public hostility, and online abuse targeted at women. Following the report, plans were drawn up for dedicated legislation.
However, as highlighted by Jardine during Cabinet Office debates, legislative progress has faced delays and shifts in strategy. Scottish Ministers subsequently announced adjustments, moving away from a separate standalone bill in favor of utilizing existing statutory measures and potential amendments to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act. The decision drew criticism from lawmakers who argued that a dedicated statute was necessary to create a clear legal deterrent.
Prediction: How This Development Could Affect Women and Public Sector Policy
If Parliament or regional assemblies enact legislation making misogyny a hate crime, the impact on women, the judiciary, and law enforcement will be substantial:
- Law Enforcement and Data Collection: Requiring police forces to record gender-motivated hostility will create an official repository of data. Police officers will need updated operational guidance to identify and log misogynistic intent during routine call-outs, public disorder incidents, and online harassment investigations.
- Judicial Sentencing: Formally adding sex or gender as a protected characteristic will allow judges to pass stiffer sentences for offences where hostility toward women is proven, potentially serving as a stronger legal deterrent.
- Impact on Women in Public Life: Campaigners predict that legal recognition will help combat the normalization of everyday harassment in public spaces and on social media platforms, encouraging more women to participate in public life, politics, and community leadership without the fear of targeted abuse.
- Resources for Public Services: Prosecutors, police, and support services will require additional resource allocation and specialized training to handle the increased volume of reports and accurately process aggravated charges through the justice system.
