Social media abuse has become "normalised" for female politicians, the Deputy First Minister has warned.
Jenny Gilruth said it is now "much harder for women to operate in a much more combative political environment" than when she was first elected to Holyrood a decade ago.
Challenges in a combative environment
The SNP MSP spoke about the "challenges" as she visited Dundee on Wednesday. She said: "Things have changed and I think ultimately that is probably to the detriment of women and minorities."
She had been asked about comments made by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon that she could not see another female party leader at Holyrood "any time soon".
Reflection of broader challenges
Gilruth dismissed suggestions this was a criticism of her and other prominent female politicians in the Scottish Parliament, saying the remarks could be "a reflection of some of the challenges women in politics experience more generally".
She said: "We're living in much more hostile times, that actually it is much harder for women to operate in a much more combative political environment than existed, for example, when I was first elected.
Normalised abuse in the workplace
Adding that politics "can be quite a challenging environment", the Deputy First Minister highlighted the problem of abuse on social media.
"I am quite hardened to it now, it is a kind of normalised part of our workplace that you wake up every morning and you will see abusive comments online, for example," she said.
"That's not normal in most workplaces, and I think we need to be mindful of what that does to the nature of political debate.
"This is not just about women, it is about minorities in general, it is about the accessibility of our elected politics."
