IMPACT OF EU EXIT AND WOMEN

The exit of the UK from the EU has profound implications for women’s rights. The implications were recognised in our debate at Women’s Conference 2015 but have now became a reality. Some of the key policy areas where key equality law and related measures derived from EU membership include: • women’s rights and representation; • […]

Women and the cuts – strategies for local campaigning

Research continues to show that the significant disproportionate negative impacts of the government’s austerity policies fall on women, particularly Black women and women who are low paid and/or from low income households (in which women dominate) despite government claims that the burden would be shared equally. Women are the primary carers for children and the […]

Why Sickle Cell matters

Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited blood disorder that affect the red blood cells. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia. People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they don’t live as long as healthy blood cells and they […]

Working with dementia

Conference notes that, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, women are disproportionately affected by dementia: • Over 500,000 people with dementia – 61% – are women • Women in their 60s are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the rest of their lives as they are to develop breast cancer • Dementia is […]

Increasing diversity at women’s conference

Conference notes that each year the attendance at national women’s conference is monitored and reported to the committee and in the annual report. There is little significant change in the pattern of women attending, with disabled, LGBT and part time workers well represented amongst the delegation. However, Black, young and low paid women are still […]

Zero hours contracts – closing the loopholes

Over the past few years, national women’s conference has discussed concerns at the growing use and abuse of zero hours contracts. According to data from the Office of National Statistics, these contracts disproportionately impact on women workers, and they are primarily focused on work traditionally undertaken by women, such as cleaning and caring work. However, […]

Bus Services in Crisis

Conference is concerned at the continuation of Britain’s bus services being depleted and congratulates Unison for supporting Campaign for Better Transport in their campaigning efforts to improve Britain’s public transport services and applauds the support from the General Political Fund for research into this subject. Buses are the most flexible form of public transport – […]

The State of girls’ rights in the UK

This conference notes the recent outcomes of research conducted by Plan UK into the state of girl’s rights in the UK. This research identified that despite being the 5th richest country in the world the UK is failing to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in turn is failing girls in this […]

Driver only trains deny accessible support for disabled women

Conference picture this, a female wheelchair user gets on a train at a station and has assistance to enter the train. Platform staff get the ramps and the woman disabled customer is helped onto the train. The train has only a driver and no conductor. Then when getting to the station to get off the […]

The Trade Union Act and the government’s austerity cuts and their impact on disabled women

Conference notes that in June 2016 the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights found that the UK government’s austerity measures and social security reforms were in breach of its obligations to human rights. The report amongst other issues cites: an increase in the use of food banks, rising unemployment rates, the […]

Abortion Rights 50 Years Since the 1967 Act

Conference notes that the 1967 Abortion Act will be 50 years old in 2017. Prior to 1967 around 100,000 illegal abortions were carried out each year in Britain and it is estimated that 35.000 women were hospitalised each year due to botched back street abortions. No one really knows how many women actually died but […]

Gender wage gap widens for women with children

A report published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies into the gender wage gap has found that women experience a gradual but continual rise in the gap once they have their first child. The study also found, on average, that the hourly wages of female employees are currently about 18 per cent lower than men’s. […]

safe travel

Safe travel for women Conference will be aware that there has been some discussion regarding safe travel for women in the past year, in particular there have been concerns about the removal of train guards on some journeys placing females at an increased risk of unwanted attention and in more serious cases physical and sexual […]

The Wage Penalty of Motherhood

In August 2016 a report publishes by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showed how the Gender Pay Gap is growing year on year after childbirth. Many Women are forced to leave better paid jobs due to the pressure of caring responsibilities and the lack of flexible working. Without more well […]

Modern Slavery – Closer Than You Think

There is no one face of modern slavery. Victims are mostly women, and children of all ages, and cut across populations, but it is normally more prevalent among minorities and excluded groups. Many women in modern slavery are brought to the UK, but latest figures show that UK nationals are also being targeted. Vulnerable young […]