SCOTLAND leads the world in featuring women on banknotes, according to a new study.
Research from brokers TradersBest looked at 115 countries across the globe and found that 716 different people are featured on banknotes.
Of these, only 54 were women (7.54%) compared to 662 men.
When it came to featuring women on banknotes, “Scotland leads globally,” a spokesperson said.
READ MORE: Warning as 'deadline' to use old Scottish paper bank notes looms
TradersBest’s study noted that Scotland’s banknotes “feature a diverse lineup of influential figures” including Scottish writer and poet Nan Shepherd on the £5 note, scientist Mary Somerville on the £10, and historic entrepreneur Catherine Cranston on the £20.
Education campaigner and pioneer Flora Stevenson is also featured on the Scottish £50 note.
The research also looked at historic banknotes which are no longer issued, including a £10 note featuring Mary Slessor, who was remembered for her impactful work in Nigeria during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a £50 note featuring doctor and suffragist Elsie Inglis (below), and a commemorative £20 featuring the late Queen Elizabeth’s mother.
There are three note-issuing banks in Scotland: Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank, and Bank of Scotland.
England and Wales were also noted in the study for having Jane Austen on the £10, as was the UK as a whole for featuring the late Queen Elizabeth on the obverse side of all banknotes.
TradersBest’s survey found that Australia came in second place globally (behind the UK) while Mexico came in third.
It also noted how Martha Washington is the first and only woman to have appeared as the primary portrait on US paper currency after she was featured on the $1 Silver Certificate.
TradersBest said: “With International Women’s Day on the horizon, [the results] prompt reflection on the prevalent perception of a world often seen as more centred around men.”
International Women’s Day falls on March 8. The National will be publishing a special edition, with details to be announced in the near future.
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