Fawcett Society say women’s equality has been downgraded by new ministerial appointment

The Fawcett Society have said that they are disappointed that Nicky Morgan MP, who has been appointed as Minister for Women, will not be a full member of the Cabinet, though she will have the right to attend meetings.  According to its press statement the women’s equality brief has been passed around from one department to another with no continuity. 

 

Across the UK today, women face reduced budgets, dwindling job prospects, an epidemic of violence and a widening pay gap. Persistent inequality is bad not just for women, but for their families and wider society.  The Fawcett Society says that “addressing the widening inequality gap between women and men should be at the very heart of the government’s agenda”.

 

Ahead of the 2010 General Election, the Prime Minister pledged to make a third of his Ministerial List female by the end of his first term. With just a year to go, the Cabinet remains at almost 90 per cent male.

 

The Fawcett Society would like to see 50/50 representation of women’s in positions of power and influence across public life and is working towards this with their Women and Power campaign.