/>GUEST POST: Why we need YF Women
Debbie Moss is a Young Fabian Member. Here she shares her reflections on the launch of YF Women.
Last night I attended the launch of Young Fabian Women, a new initiative to support young women with an interest in progressive politics to engage in policy debates and stand for election.
Many women of my generation may question the need for such a project. Our political consciousness has developed in the context of female cabinet ministers, all-women shortlists and equal pay legislation. We are confident of our right to a career as well as a family, and to aim as high as our male peers. Speaking at the launch, Patricia Hewitt reminded us how far we had come, thanks to the organising drive of the sixties sisterhood, but also how far we have to go. Women of my age have rights and opportunities, many guaranteed by laws passed by Labour governments.
But we must not be complacent. Lack of representation remains the most visible challenge. Fawcett Society research shows that at the current rate of change it would take around 20 years for 50% of Labour MPs to be women. It would take the Tories a terrifying 400 years.
Making our voices heard matters beyond Parliament. Earlier this week I was talking to a group of sixth form girls, who told me they took part in a debating society with the boys’ school next door. Their distinguished-looking male teacher shrugged and said “hardly any girls turn up, and when they do, they let the boys do all the talking”.
But can we really let the boys do all the talking? After all, female policy makers have been instrumental in making sure healthcare, childcare and care for the elderly take centre-stage in our political discourse. Even Cameron’s Conservatives (when “on message”) pledge their allegiance to the NHS and acknowledge the necessity of a national care service. These are not “women’s issues”, they are social justice issues. But it is equally important that women contribute to debates on foreign policy, constitutional reform and the economy.
We cannot know whether equal representation in Parliament and in the boardroom would have prevented the banking crisis or the expenses furore, but women are equally affected by the repercussions of both. So I hope that Young Fabian Women will encourage us to share ideas and support each other in the next phase of the battle for equal representation.
