From exclusion to empowerment: How Roma Women in Scotland are building strong communities
Community development is a central element of Scotland’s strategy to support local integration and to address the structural factors that contribute to the exclusion of minorities. Grounded in principles of equality, human rights and social justice, this approach is particularly relevant to challenges such as gender-based violence, unequal access to healthcare and lack of representation. Rather than focusing primarily on service delivery, community development prioritizes empowerment and participation. For Roma women, who experience intersecting forms of gender- and ethnicity-based discrimination, such development offers a pathway for strengthening agency and fostering change within their own communities.
The Roma are Europe’s largest minority, yet in Scotland, the Roma ethnic group was only recorded for the first time in the 2022 Census. This census, which collected survey data to build a demographic profile of the population, counted just over 3,000 respondents who identified with the Roma ethnic group, making it one of Scotland’s smallest minority ethnic groups.
Within the Scottish Roma ethnic group, women constitute just over half of the population. In Scotland, women from ethnic minority backgrounds are three times more likely to report discrimination than White Scottish women. Roma women in particular face additional gender pressures within their own communities, where underage girls are commonly expected to marry or enter into relationships early. In Europe overall, more than a quarter of underage Roma children are either “traditionally married” or cohabiting. As a consequence, traditional family responsibilities restrict Roma women’s access to education and employment, contributing to social exclusion.
At the same time, Roma women, and the Roma ethnic group more broadly, confront a legacy of marginalization shaped by decades of persecution and migration, as well as persistent stereotypes in wider society, including portrayals of Roma as dangerous, criminal, lazy, and as unfairly benefiting from the welfare system, and as low in both warmth and competence, reinforcing their social devaluation. These narratives shape both public attitudes and policy responses, frequently framing the Roma ethnic group as a problem to be managed rather than as rights-bearing citizens entitled to full participation.
The resulting stigma produces pronounced intersectional disadvantages, making Roma women’s position in public life a particularly revealing lens through which to understand patterns of participation and exclusion, as well as the potential of community-led responses.
Housing is a major issue for Roma
»Romano Lav«, a Roma-led, community-based organization tries to attenuate these effects by working directly with the Roma ethnic group in Glasgow. This includes youth work, education, and participatory research, with the aim of addressing structural inequalities and enabling community members to shape change. A key example of this approach is a 2024 research project, conducted in collaboration with the Poverty Alliance, Scotland’s anti-poverty network, which examined the experiences of the Roma community in Govanhill, Glasgow, in relation to housing rights, an issue that continues to represent one of the most serious and persistent challenges facing Roma communities both in Scotland and across Europe. Most participants were women, many of them single parents, who reported overcrowded housing, damp, mould, insecure communal spaces, and limited access to support. The project not only documented inequalities but involved Roma women as active contributors to the study, strengthening their knowledge of housing rights, confidence in engaging with institutions, and capacity for collective advocacy. In this way, the project functioned not only as a data-gathering exercise but as a form of community development, reinforcing peer networks, leadership skills, and women’s participation in shaping policy-relevant knowledge. The report concludes that the changes required are “not radical demands but essential measures for ensuring dignity, equality, and rights-realisation for all.”
In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.
Marianne Williamson, American author, speaker, and political activist
Romano Lav illustrates why community-led approaches represent best practice in supporting Roma women in Govanhill, Glasgow, home to one of the UK’s largest Roma populations. By addressing structural exclusion through safe spaces, participatory research, peer education, and sustained advocacy, the project/organization moves beyond short-term service provision and contributes to long-term capacity building, strengthening confidence, leadership, and collective agency within the community. Its work demonstrates that meaningful inclusion is not achieved through access to services alone, but through participation in shaping the systems that affect everyday life. In this way, Roma women are positioned not as passive recipients of support, but as active contributors to social change within their communities.
What the Govanhill experience offers to other communities
Govanhill provides a compelling example of how community development can support female minority groups who face intersecting forms of disadvantage. While the Govanhill area of Glasgow has its own distinct history and demographic profile, many of the approaches developed here, such as peer education, participatory research, and culturally grounded community spaces, are transferable to other contexts across Scotland, and beyond.
The experience of »Romano Lav« highlights that effective community development must be rooted in participation, cultural recognition and inclusive practice. When women are given opportunities to build skills, access knowledge, and take on leadership roles, they are better equipped to navigate institutional barriers and to support others within their communities. Community building is most effective when leadership comes from those with lived experience, and when women are empowered to engage in research, learning, and advocacy.
The initiatives that take place within Govanhill’s (female) Roma community also show that integration is strongest when it affirms cultural identity rather than expecting communities to suppress it. By creating spaces where Roma culture is visible and valued, while simultaneously addressing material barriers such as housing, health, and employment, these initiatives promote forms of inclusion that are both socially and politically meaningful.
If adopted more widely, this approach could strengthen minority inclusion beyond Govanhill, ensuring that diverse communities have access to safe spaces, knowledge, and support networks necessary for sustained participation in public life. The experience in Govanhill demonstrates that community-led development can be a powerful driver of long-term social change.
Sophie Dolan
Sophie Dolan holds an MSc in Human Rights and Diplomacy from the University of Stirling and a BA (Hons) in Community Education from the University of Dundee. They previously worked as a Trainee Researcher at Eurac Research's Institute for Minority Rights. Their interests lie in the intersection of feminism, inclusion, community engagement, and human rights. Their current work focuses on alternative and off site education provision supporting learners outside mainstream school environments contributing to inclusive and person centred practice.
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