ON Sunday, we marked International Women's Day, the annual occasion on which we celebrate inspirational women from across the generations who have championed women's rights and social progress.

 

These are brave and principled women, from the suffragettes to Glasgow's own Mary Barbour as well as the women in our own lives who, while not so famous, have nevertheless encouraged and motivated us.

For me, that's my mum and my sister, two strong, wonderful women who inspire me every single day.

And the good news is that there is a lot to celebrate in Scotland when it comes to progress for women.

For instance, the fact that - in the Scottish Parliament - the three main parties are led by women is a significant and groundbreaking step forward that Westminster and many other parliaments across the world are nowhere near taking.

There's positive news on the economic front as well. Female employment in Scotland is at a record level and the gap between male and female employment is at its lowest ever.

And while we want to see much more progress, particularly in careers like engineering and sciences, the number of young women taking modern apprentices has increased.

There are also more women in further and higher education than men - reflecting the fact that women make up more of the population.

For me, personally, it has been humbling since I became First Minister to speak to women and girls and have them tell me how much it means to them to have a woman in the top job in politics in Scotland.

And I've been touched by the number of men, as well as women, who value having positive female role models for their daughters to look up to.

So there is a great deal to be proud of.

But that must not blind us to the fact that there is still so much more to do.

True gender equality in Scotland - end elsewhere - is still some way off.

Some of the brightest and best women in our society are stifled in their ambitions.

That is a real waste, not just for the individual women concerned, but also for wider society - it means that we are not utilising all of the talent we have to make Scotland more prosperous.

At the moment, women are over-represented in lower-paid professions.

57% of women in work are in lower-paid professions, as opposed to 37% of men.

But women are under-represented in the workplace generally - especially in senior positions.

Also, rates of female business ownership in Scotland are lower than in other developed countries.

If as many businesses in Scotland were owned by women as are owned by men, it could increase our GDP by as much as 5%.

I am a believer in people succeeding on merit.

But as long as women - who make up more than half the population - are so under-represented in key areas of our economy and society, we have to admit that merit is not always what determines progress.

If it was, we'd already have gender equality.

The fact is that there are many factors which hold women back unfairly and we need to tackle that.

That's why I believe the time is right to use targets to achieve gender balance on our public and private boards, and in other key areas of our national life.

That's why, as part of wider efforts to reduce economic inequality, I have thrown down a challenge to all public, private and third sector bodies to achieve a 50:50 gender split on their boards by 2020.

More women in senior positions will be good for society and - crucially - all the evidence shows that it will also be good for the economy.

Helping women get on in the workplace is also one of the reasons that I've put a major increase in childcare at the centre of my Government's economic plans.

That policy, which will see around £880 million a year invested in early learning and childcare by the end of the next parliament, will bring more women back into the jobs market - and it will also ensure that young people get the very best start in life which, in itself, helps to tackle inequality.

So as we celebrate this International Women's Day, my hope for the future for all women across Scotland is that if are good enough and work hard enough, there will be nothing that holds you back from reaching your full potential and achieving your dreams.