Tuesday, March 09, 2021
Sexism, abuse and harrassment
Yesterday was International Women's Day, so it is rather disturbing to see this article in the Independent, which reports on a new study that found nearly n 10 women say they would not become a politician because of fears of facing abuse or harassment in the role.
I reported yesterday on one example of misogyny and abuse in Neath Port Talbot, so it is no surprise to see this research conducted by the Fawcett Society, a leading gender equality charity, finding almost six in 10 women think sexism in local politics is a barrier to pursuing a political career:
Seven in 10 said problems juggling work as an MP or councillor with other responsibilities in their lives would be an obstacle, and six in 10 said a lack of confidence to offer themselves up held them back.
The charity, which polled more than 400 women, said that the dearth of women in politics will result in them continuing to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s financial fallout during the recovery period.
Britain’s political system has long been dominated by men, with women accounting for about a third of MPs and local councillors. At present, only five out of 23 cabinet ministers are women.
Felicia Willow, the Fawcett Society’s chief executive, said: “The pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on women, and government policy to date has failed to understand and protect the needs of women. In order to do this, we need more women in power. We need the government and political parties to commit to improve equality and to better support women to get into and stay in politics.”
The charity, which releases the findings on International Women’s Day, argues that women’s “voices” and “needs” have been overlooked during the Covid crisis. Researchers warn this is partly a result of a shortage of women in government and influential advisory positions, which in turn leads to plans being drawn up that disregard them.
While men, who are in a position of leadership continue to treat women with contempt this situation will not improve.
I reported yesterday on one example of misogyny and abuse in Neath Port Talbot, so it is no surprise to see this research conducted by the Fawcett Society, a leading gender equality charity, finding almost six in 10 women think sexism in local politics is a barrier to pursuing a political career:
Seven in 10 said problems juggling work as an MP or councillor with other responsibilities in their lives would be an obstacle, and six in 10 said a lack of confidence to offer themselves up held them back.
The charity, which polled more than 400 women, said that the dearth of women in politics will result in them continuing to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s financial fallout during the recovery period.
Britain’s political system has long been dominated by men, with women accounting for about a third of MPs and local councillors. At present, only five out of 23 cabinet ministers are women.
Felicia Willow, the Fawcett Society’s chief executive, said: “The pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on women, and government policy to date has failed to understand and protect the needs of women. In order to do this, we need more women in power. We need the government and political parties to commit to improve equality and to better support women to get into and stay in politics.”
The charity, which releases the findings on International Women’s Day, argues that women’s “voices” and “needs” have been overlooked during the Covid crisis. Researchers warn this is partly a result of a shortage of women in government and influential advisory positions, which in turn leads to plans being drawn up that disregard them.
While men, who are in a position of leadership continue to treat women with contempt this situation will not improve.
