Dear all,
I have drafted a letter condemning the shortage of women in the
Cabinet, which I would like to sign in the name of our group. (I also
encourage all members who would like to sign in a personal capacity to
let me know asap.) I have sent the letter to Fawcett in the hope that
they will sign it too, and the plan is then to send it out as a press
release or as a letter to the Times.
Women are currently outnumbered 9:1 in the Cabinet, with speculation
that more men are still to come. This will not do.
Statement below.
Best wishes
Rainbow
Big Society (Women not Included)
As political scientists and experts on gender equality, we are writing
to express our extreme disappointment at the shortage of women in the
Cabinet. With most Cabinet posts now filled, there are currently only
two women with a Cabinet portfolio. David Cameron has not fulfilled
his aspiration of 30% women in the government, and the Liberal
Democrats have not included a single woman within their representation
on the front bench. Were the marginalisation of women during the
election campaign and their absence from the coalition negotiations
portents of a return to the tokenism of pre 1997 governments? This is
a huge step backward in a country that already performs badly in world
rankings for women’s political representation. We find it deeply
regrettable that power should be so concentrated in a narrow and
unrepresentative sample of politicians. The “new politics” and “big
society” warmly advocated by our new government must not come with a
“men only” stamp. We call upon the Prime Minister to take immediate
remedial action to ensure that women are not excluded from power.
|