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Female representation in Scotland looks set to fall after next year's election, which bodes ill for social care, says Shona Main.

The Scottish parliament has retired for the summer recess, but not before raising some awkward questions about the introduction this week of free long-term care.

During first minister's question time, Margaret Smith, chairperson of the health and community care committee, raised some councils' fears that they did not have enough cash to deliver the policy and their warnings of lengthy waits before clients will be assessed or receive payments. First minister Jack McConnell acknowledged the challenge for councils and said the Scottish executive was giving every support.

However, it was only when the Scottish National Party's Nicola Sturgeon waded in that McConnell, whose enthusiasm for the policy he inherited from his predecessor has been doubted, gave what must have been the most fulsome praise for social work departments to fall from his lips. "It would be right and proper for us to thank and congratulate them, rather than denigrating their work as the nationalists have done." Here's hoping Jack can recite these words with similar gusto in months to come.

Following the SNP's cack-handed handling of its regional lists (which determine which candidate will get elected in the proportional representation element of the parliament), there seems certain to be far fewer women MSPs after next year's election. One of their female MSPs has resigned and another two are retiring. But no attempt has been made to use the regional lists to redress the gender balance. Instead the SNP shuffled three female MSPs further down the list, giving them less chance of being re-elected. They may well be six women worse off after the election and this will be hard to put right in the future once people (ie, men) have their feet under the table.

Assuming that there is little change in voting patterns, female representation looks set to fall from 37.2 per cent to 32.5 per cent. The Scottish parliament will move from third to seventh in the world league - Westminster is 44th with 17.9 per cent women. Kate Maclean, the chairperson of the parliament's equal opportunities committee, says: "The reduction is small enough in actual numbers that it probably won't make a significant difference, but it is a worrying trend. It demonstrates that when there is a scrabble for seats and no positive discrimination in favour of women, women lose out. A critical mass of 30 per cent or more women can have a very positive impact on the legislative priorities and on the conduct of business."

Those with an interest in social care will be uneasy at the erosion of the number of women MSPs. There are sure to be other able MSPs who will pursue progress in social care, but there will be fewer female politicians struggling to act on issues given lip service, but little priority, in what is still a man's world.

Shona Main is the Association of Directors of Social Work's policy and parliamentary officer.