Renfrewshire Council depute leader hopes to be role model for young women considering career in politics
dailyrecord.co.ukThe new depute leader of Renfrewshire Council hopes she can be a role model for young women who are considering pursuing a career in politics.Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, an SNP rep for Johnstone South and Elderslie, was elected to the position after May's local government election, replacing predecessor Councillor Jim Paterson.The elected member is the first female to have taken on the role since retired Liberal-Democrat councillor Eileen McCartin did the job from 2007 to 2012.However, Councillor Cameron concedes she had to overcome "imposter syndrome" and trust in her own ability and experience before putting herself forward.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service : "The motivation for going for depute leader was that I don't think there's been a female depute leader for some time. Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire.
Sign up to our newsletters here. "I also thought it would be good to have Renfrewshire South represented, so, for that reason I thought, I'm going to push myself forward."I think sometimes, not every woman, but sometimes as women we can be a wee bit self-effacing and have imposter syndrome, and think, 'oh I can't do that', whereas men can be more confident."I thought, no, I'm going to push myself forward and go for this."Councillor Cameron is eager to use her platform to encourage other women, who may lack confidence but not the skills to either go for that workplace promotion or potentially get involved in politics.She said: "It's about encouraging people and saying, you can do this, you're good at what you do and you've got these skills."Councillor Cameron recalls one
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